Russia’s economy risk freezing over PRO Members Public
Russian economic activity is showing a slowdown not only in manufacturing, but also in the service sector — early signs of an impending hit to growth after 2024’s robust expansion of 4.1%. * The monthly PMI index — a closely watched indicator of business activity — recorded a slowdown in both the
Renowned opposition rapper accused in grooming-and-assault scandal PRO Members Public
Russia’s #MeToo movement resurfaced last week, after journalist Nastya Krasilnikov released an investigation into popular rapper Oxxxymiron, in which he was accused of grooming underage girls and sexually assaulting them once they had turned 16. For more than a decade, the performer has been not only a prominent figure
Russian security forces come up with new ideological grounds for seizing assets PRO Members Public
Russia’s nationalization wave — which accelerated following the invasion of Ukraine — continues apace. Canned food magnate Leonid Smirnov is the latest to have fallen out of favor, but what makes this case different are allegations of military sabotage. * Leonid Smirnov was born in the USSR but emigrated to the USA
THE BELL WEEKLY: Sabotage claims fuel nationalization drive PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our main story is about how claims of military sabotage are fuelling the latest high-profile business nationalization. We also cover a sexual assault scandal involving popular rapper Oxxxymiron, and signs the Russian economy could be slowing down too fast. Russian security forces come up with new ideological
Daron Acemoglu talks to The Bell about Putin, Zelensky and Trump PRO Members Public
Daron Acemoglu, one of the most cited economists in the world, received the Nobel Prize for Economics last year alongside his team for their research into how institutions affect well-being. Three years of war in Ukraine has finally ended the idea of institutions in Russia – but neither the government nor
Moscow revels in Oval Office row between Zelensky and Trump PRO Members Public
Russia can’t get enough of last week’s unprecedented row between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky in front of the world’s media in the Oval Office. The growing rift between the United States, Ukraine and Europe gives the Kremlin hope that it can strike a deal normalizing relations
How Russia is losing the AI race PRO Members Public
Russia has its own self-driving technology, a search engine to rival Google, and voice assistants and smart speakers that are better conversationalists than Alexa or Siri. But it has no generative neural networks that can compete with the latest versions of ChatGPT or surprise everyone like China’s DeepSeek. How
Phantom hope for the return of foreign brands PRO Members Public
The first US-Russian talks since the invasion of Ukraine were greeted in Russia not by talk of the end of the war, but by the country’s potential return to the global economic order. Russian officials and propagandists began to interpret the possibility of normal relations between Moscow and Washington
How Russians assess their life after three years of war PRO Members Public
Three years of fighting in Ukraine have seriously affected the lives of Russian residents, sociologists say. Day-to-day life got worse for more than half the population, and more than a third found their financial circumstances have deteriorated. * 54% of Russians said that the war had a negative effect on their
THE BELL WEEKLY: How three years of war have affected Russia's mood PRO Members Public
Hello! This week we look how Russians’ financial situations have been hit by the invasion. We also dig into why the war means Russia is losing the AI race and look at Russia’s misplaced optimism over the possible return of foreign brands. How Russians assess their life after three
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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.
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