Russia tries to downplay importance of US aid for Ukraine Paid Members Public
On state TV over the weekend, Russian propagandists tried to minimize the importance of the US House of Representatives approving $61 billion of military aid to Ukraine after months of delay. The key message on Russian airwaves was that most of this money would remain in the States, and would
Team Navalny film about 1990s oligarchs divides Russia’s opposition Paid Members Public
The 1990s were a turbulent period following the collapse of the Soviet Union — and 30 years later it remains the most controversial era in modern Russian history. The rapid democratization of society and the switch from a planned to a market economy was accompanied by poverty, rampant crime and the
THE BELL WEEKLY: The shadow of the 90s haunts the Russian opposition Paid Members Public
Hello. This week we cover the opposition backlash to a major documentary on the 1990s published by Team Navalny. We also look at the latest piece of pro-war propaganda in Russian schools and how Moscow is responding to new US aid for Ukraine. Team Navalny film about 1990s oligarchs divides
AI-powered internet censorship Paid Members Public
Russia’s internet watchdog wants to use artificial intelligence to block access to restricted information on the Russian internet. AI should help the agency block unwanted content three times faster — within an hour of publication — and strike down content more accurately, the authorities say. * Russia’s Roskomnadzor communications regulator plans
Unprecedented flooding unlikely to shake trust in Putin Paid Members Public
The main topic in Russia over the last few weeks has been the catastrophic flooding in the Orenburg region in the southern Urals, along the border with Kazakhstan. In Orsk, rising river waters burst through a poorly constructed dam, completely flooding the city of some 200,000 people. A few
Airlines told to roll out the red carpet for Russian soldiers Paid Members Public
Only a few weeks have passed since Russian President Vladimir Putin said those fighting in Ukraine were his country’s “new elite”, but already the privileges and special status being afforded to Russian soldiers who have served in Ukraine are racking up. Russia’s aviation agency last week advised airlines
THE BELL WEEKLY: Special benefits for Russia’s ‘new elite’ Paid Members Public
Hello! This week we cover the growing number of special benefits and legal exemptions for Russian soldiers coming back from Ukraine. We also look at the authorities’ response to unprecedented flooding and plans to use AI to improve online censorship. Airlines told to roll out the red carpet for Russian
Soviet dissident pursued by Putin in the Soviet Union arrested Paid Members Public
A St. Petersburg court has detained Soviet dissident Alexander Skobov on charges of “justifying terrorism”. Skobov is a Soviet dissident who was twice committed to psychiatric hospitals for enforced treatment over his anti-communist stance. Vladimir Putin, then a young KGB officer, was involved in the cases against him in the
