THE BELL WEEKLY: Russians asked to pay for their own surveillance Paid Members Public
Hello. This week we look at a new proposal to build a national network of surveillance cameras. We also unpack some of the economic myths the Kremlin is telling itself, and the Russian people, ahead of next year’s presidential election, and look at why Russia is trying to engineer
The cost of a decade of confrontation Paid Members Public
Hello! Welcome to your weekly guide to the Russian economy — brought to you by The Bell. This week we try to come up with a rough balance sheet for what a decade of aggression toward Ukraine has cost Russia and the Russian economy. We also look at the West’s
Seven years in jail for supermarket sticker protestor Paid Members Public
One of Russia’s longest and most controversial political trials since the start of the war reached its inevitable conclusion in a court in St. Petersburg last week. Artist Sasha Skochilenko, 33, was sentenced to seven years in a penal colony for spreading “false information” about Russia’s armed forces.
Troll farms and sanctions: Russian opposition gripped by libertarian activist’s questionable reporting Paid Members Public
Over the past week, two big talking points have emerged around the Russian opposition — both triggered by political activist Mikhail Svetov, founder of the Russian Libertarian Party, which has found a niche among young Russians on Twitter. First, Svetov’s SVTV News reported on how leading Russian economists helped to
THE BELL WEEKLY: Libertarian activist sows discord among Russian opposition Paid Members Public
Hello. This week we look at why two dubious articles published by a libertarian activist have captured the attention of Russia’s opposition. We also cover the lengthy prison sentence handed down for an anti-war sticker protest and Russia’s escalating campaign against the LGBT+ community. Troll farms and sanctions:
EU mulls Russia diamonds ban, tightening oil cap rules Paid Members Public
Hello! Welcome to your weekly guide to the Russian economy — brought to you by The Bell. Our top story is a deep-dive into the EU’s nineteenth packet of sanctions against Russia, which looks set to include a ban on Russian diamonds and new rules on Russian oil sales. We
Kremlin says criminals are “atoning with blood” on the battlefield in Ukraine Paid Members Public
With every passing week, more attention is being paid to the thousands of criminals, including brutal murderers, receiving pardons after being released from prison to serve with the Wagner private militia and other paramilitaries fighting in Ukraine. The problems stemming from the policy were inevitable. Unlike draftees, pardoned criminals are
Russian regions’ anti-abortion drive Paid Members Public
Russia’s war on Ukraine is proving to be no obstacle for the battle to promote “traditional values” – the conservative social program and messaging that Vladimir Putin has long placed at the heart of his domestic ideological agenda. The latest part of that agenda has now emerged, with the state
