Soaring ruble set to come back down to earth PRO Members Public
To the surprise of many, the first four months of 2025 have turned out to be one of the best periods for the Russian currency in recent years. The ruble, which ended 2024 with its worst performance since 2022, has suddenly started to strengthen, boosted by a host of factors.
Trump’s tariffs mean long-term pain for Moscow PRO Members Public
Hello! Welcome to your weekly guide to the Russian economy — written by Alexander Kolyandr and Alexandra Prokopenko and brought to you by The Bell. This week we look at how Trump’s tariffs will affect Russia (even though Russia didn’t appear on the tariff list), and the consequences of
Are Russia’s war emigrants heading home? PRO Members Public
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, hundreds of thousands of Russians left the country. Most of them were highly-skilled personnel who could work remotely or find jobs abroad. The Russian authorities are sticking to their story that most of those who were “scared off” at the start have since returned.
THE BELL WEEKLY: Russians' happiness hits decade-high PRO Members Public
Hello! This week we look at why Russians are happier than at any point in the last decade, and delve into a new study suggesting those who fled after the invasion are not rushing back to Russia, despite claims by the Kremlin and even Western media outlets. Russians’ wellbeing levels
Russia’s odd ceasefire demands PRO Members Public
Hello! Welcome to your weekly guide to the Russian economy — written by Alexander Kolyandr and Alexandra Prokopenko and brought to you by The Bell. This week we look in detail at Moscow’s strange demands to sign up to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in the Black Sea. We also
Continuing war and continuing nationalizations PRO Members Public
Hello! Welcome to your weekly guide to the Russian economy — written by Alexander Kolyandr and Alexandra Prokopenko and brought to you by The Bell. This week we look at two meetings attended by Putin and what signals he gave about an end to the fighting in Ukraine, and Russia’s
Does Russia really face a wave of bankruptcies PRO Members Public
Amid the central bank’s aggressive interest rate hikes last year – taking the key rate to a two-decade high of 21% – the industrial lobby, joined by sympathetic economists, has been increasingly warning of a wave of bankruptcies as over-exposed industries struggle to service their debts. We took a look at
The end of Radio Liberty: What does it mean for Russia? PRO Members Public
President Donald Trump’s decision to liquidate the U.S. Agency for Global Media and stop funding Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has had a particularly strong impact on Russian society – not least because of the important role RFE/RL played throughout Soviet/Russian history. If RFE/RL ceases its
Ahead of Trump call, Putin lets Western funds sell frozen Russian assets for the first time PRO Members Public
On the eve of a phone call with Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin unveiled his latest overture to the United States. For the first time in three years of war, he signed an order on Monday allowing major US investment funds to sell their holdings of frozen Russian securities. The move
No, Russia isn’t about to run out of money PRO Members Public
Hello! Welcome to your weekly guide to the Russian economy — written by Alexandra Prokopenko and Alexander Kolyandr and brought to you by The Bell. This week we look at whether Russia’s National Wealth Fund is in danger of running dry, and what it would mean if it did. We
We are working for you
The Bell was founded in 2017 by journalists Elizaveta Osetinskaya, Irina Malkova and Peter Mironenko as a news outlet independent from the Russian authorities, after its founders have been sacked as top editors at the largest Russian news website RBC because of pressure from the Kremlin.
Read about us
