How Apple and Google enable Russian censorship PRO Members Public
Hello! This week we take a detailed look into the removal of VPNs from the Russian app stores of Apple and Google, exploring how the US tech giants are effectively enabling Moscow’s sweeping internet censorship. US tech compliant in Russia’s VPN crackdown Russian authorities are waging a serious
Could a global trade war destabilize Russia’s finances? 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 what the effect of a prolonged trade war and lower oil prices would be on the Russian economy. We also examine
Russian pro-war bloggers blame Ukrainian civilians after deadly missile strike PRO Members Public
A Russian strike on the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih on Friday killed 20 people, among them nine children. Images of the aftermath of the strike and details of the devastation triggered anger around the world, more than three years after Moscow's invasion. In Russia, pro-war military bloggers
More trouble for Putin’s former aide Chubais PRO Members Public
Russian law enforcement agencies have stepped up their targeting of Rusnano, a state company that invested in promising tech projects. For the first time, Anatoly Chubais, one of the architects of Moscow’s 1990s economic reforms and long-time Rusnano chief, is himself coming under direct threat. Until recently, Chubais – who
Propagandists revel in US tariffs, ignoring peril to Russian economy PRO Members Public
Russian officials and propagandists rushed to portray the United States’ new tariffs as a blow against Europe – completely ignoring the potential consequences it could have on Russia’s domestic economy. The main message on state media has been that the tariffs have divided the EU, while U.S. President Donald
THE BELL WEEKLY: Russia cheers Trump’s tariffs PRO Members Public
Hello! Our top story is how Russian propagandists are rejoicing over Donald Trump’s tariffs, but ignoring how they could backfire on Moscow. We also cover new trouble for Anatoly Chubais and how pro-war bloggers are blaming Ukrainian civilians after a deadly Russian missile strike on Kryvyi Rih. Propagandists revel
Russia no longer pushing Ukrainian link to Moscow concert hall massacre PRO 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
Russia jails dissident once targeted by Putin at KGB for 16 years PRO 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
VK posts huge loss, eyes massive cash injection PRO 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 WEEKLY: Billion-dollar loss for Russia's Facebook PRO 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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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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