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Russia no longer pushing Ukrainian link to Moscow concert hall massacre Members Public

Russian authorities appear to have quietly lost interest in pushing the idea that Ukraine was somehow connected to the worst terrorist attack in Russia of the last two decades. On the first anniversary of the Crocus City Hall massacre, officials barely mentioned the alleged Ukrainian link — something which they never

The Bell
Politics

Russia jails dissident once targeted by Putin at KGB for 16 years Members Public

A court in St. Petersburg has sentenced Alexander Skobov, a 66-year-old Soviet dissident and activist, to 16 years in jail on charges of justifying terrorism and joining a terrorist group. Skovov was first arrested more than four decades ago and Vladimir Putin was among the KGB officers who worked on

The Bell
Politics

VK posts huge loss, eyes massive cash injection Members Public

Tech giant VK, which operates the country’s largest social media site and is often dubbed “Russia’s Facebook”, posted a staggering set of results for 2024: a billion-dollar loss and overall outstanding debt of more than $2 billion. Now the firm, which the Kremlin is backing heavily to create

The Bell
Business

THE BELL WEEKLY: Billion-dollar loss for Russia's Facebook Members Public

Hello! Our main story this week is how the state is going to bail out VK after a staggering loss and mounting debt pile. We also cover the jailing of a Soviet-era dissident, once targeted by Vladimir Putin at the KGB, and highlight how the authorities are no longer trying

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Newsletters

The EU looks at how to lift sanctions on Russian oligarchs Members Public

The EU’s Supreme Court last week discussed for the first time what Russian oligarchs need to do to have sanctions against them lifted. Namely, they will need to visibly part with any of their Russian businesses, not simply transfer them to other companies within the country. * The Court of

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Business

Moscow celebrates after Putin’s conversation with Trump Members Public

With officials preparing for Tuesday’s talks with the US in Saudi Arabia, Russian authorities and state media at home can hardly contain their delight over last week’s phone call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. It is unclear how the talks will go, or whether the Putin-Trump relationship

The Bell
Politics

THE BELL WEEKLY: Moscow cheers Putin-Trump call Members Public

Hello! This week our top story is Moscow celebrating Vladimir Putin’s return to the top table of international politics after his call with Donald Trump. We also cover the EU clarifying its rules for how oligarchs can get sanctions removed. Moscow celebrates after Putin’s conversation with Trump With

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Newsletters

Moscow to demolish two Soviet architecture gems Members Public

Moscow has decided to demolish two famous landmarks of the Soviet period: the former building of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON) and the Great Moscow State Circus. Moscow's civic authorities have the right to pull down any building which, in their opinion, does not fit with

The Bell
Politics

Opposition infighting: Navalny allies hit back at Katz Members Public

Alexei Navalny’s The Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) — run by the late opposition leader’s allies in exile —  last week accused the wife of Maxim Katz, a popular opposition blogger, of earning hundreds of thousands of dollars from working with companies close to the Russian authorities. The investigation has prompted another

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Politics

Russia’s white collar workers face job cuts despite chronic labour shortages Members Public

Russia’s economy is expected to cool this year after months of overheating, with the pace of growth set to more than halve. The slowdown will happen against the backdrop of chronic labour shortages — but despite record demand for workers in many sectors, experts still predict job losses. Who is

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Business

RUSSIA IN GRAPHS

Understand the Russian economy and politics with a monthly infographic plus a selection of articles to add to your reading list, compiled by The Bell’s editors team.