Central Bank tips economy towards recession to stem inflation Paid Members Public
The central bank has reacted aggressively to surging inflation, the falling ruble and the imminent increase in government spending. It hiked the base rate on Friday by two full percentage points, from 13% to 15%, and signalled there was little likelihood of rates coming back down again before spring or
Putin blames the West after anti-Israel riot shocks Moscow Paid Members Public
In Russia’s North Caucasus, the weekend brought a series of antisemitic protests, culminating in a mass riot in Makhachkala, the capital of the predominantly Muslim republic of Dagestan. Angry crowds of protestors stormed the city’s airport, breaking through to the runway in a bid to get to passengers
Putin resurrects another Soviet tradition Paid Members Public
Last week, Vladimir Putin called for the return of sporting parades on Moscow’s Red Square. This long-forgotten Soviet ritual, beloved of the Stalin era, represents the latest staging point on Russia’s rose-tinted march into its Soviet past. * The first such sporting parades, which involved the so-called “Vsevobuchs” (men
Another US journalist arrested Paid Members Public
Last week, Russian police arrested journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, editor of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Tatar-Bashkir service. Kurmasheva, who holds Russian and American citizenship, is accused of failing to register as a “foreign agent.” This is the first criminal case in Russia under laws that require anybody who “purposefully”
Pro-Kremlin media’s talking points on the conflict in the Middle East Paid Members Public
After the outbreak of fighting between Israel and Hamas militants, Russian propagandists have scrambled to push the focus away from events in Ukraine and onto the situation in the Middle East. The Kremlin’s loyalists on TV and in print quickly started talking up the West’s role in the
Putin returns empty-handed from Beijing Paid Members Public
Hello! This is your weekly guide to the Russian economy — brought to you by The Bell. Our top story is about Putin’s trip to Beijing and why he failed to land any major economic agreements. We also look at whether Russia stands to make money from the Israel-Hamas war