Why Putin is backing Hamas Paid Members Public
The Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel were a rare boost for Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian authorities – inasmuch as they pushed Russia’s war in Ukraine off the global front pages. For the first time in many years, Putin showed unambiguous solidarity with Palestine, and took more than
THE BELL WEEKLY: Why Putin is backing Hamas Paid Members Public
Hello! This week our top story covers what Moscow has to gain from the Hamas-Israel conflict and why Putin is openly backing the Palestinians. We also look at a billionaire’s return to Russia amid a new campaign against emigrants, and analyze a new religious appointment for Putin’s personal
The return of currency controls Paid Members Public
Hello! This is your weekly guide to the Russian economy — brought to you by The Bell. Our top story is on the currency controls re-imposed by Russia and why they are likely linked to presidential elections scheduled for next year. We also look at Belgium’s decision to transfer some
Why Russians trust Putin Paid Members Public
Alexei Levinson, the head of socio-cultural research at the Levada Center and one of the most respected sociologists in Russia, recently gave an interview to The Bell’s co-founder Elizaveta Osetinskaya about public opinion in Russia. Here are some of the key points he raised. * Despite the war, Putin remains
Valdai’s fall from relevance Paid Members Public
Last week, Vladimir Putin spoke at the 20th anniversary meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club, an annual platform that sets about painting a picture of the world and international relations as seen through the Kremlin’s eyes. In the second Valdai meeting since the invasion of Ukraine, Putin once again
The Putin-linked scion behind Russia’s ‘YouTube killer’ Paid Members Public
Russian authorities have long sought a viable domestic alternative to YouTube in their fight to neutralize the site’s rising and stubborn popularity. In Russia, YouTube is home to interviews and reports by independent journalists, and opposition politicians rack up hundreds of thousands of views for their videos. Unlike many
THE BELL WEEKLY: The Putin-linked scion behind Russia’s ‘YouTube killer’ Paid Members Public
Hello! This week our main story looks inside the VKontakte social network at how a Russian nepo baby with family connections to Putin is trying to turn “Russia’s Facebook” into a viable home-grown alternative to YouTube. We also analyze the latest annual Valdai meeting, and ask one of Russia’
Azerbaijan detains Troika financier who became Karabakh separatist leader Paid Members Public
One of the best-known Russian financiers of the 2000s was among the victims of the crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh — the billionaire founder of Troika Dialog, Ruben Vardanyan. The former businessman, who sold his Russian assets in the early 2010s to invest in his native Armenia, was for a brief period the
