Russia bans Greenpeace Paid Members Public
Russia’s prosecutor general designated Greenpeace as an “undesirable” organization Friday, which effectively bans its members from working in Russia. According to the authorities, Greenpeace “poses a threat to the foundations of constitutional order and security” in the country, and, since the start of the war, it has “engaged in
State propaganda casts capture of Bakhmut as a big win for Russia Paid Members Public
Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin and Russia’s Defense Ministry announced over the weekend that they had taken complete control of eastern Ukraine’s Bakhmut after a grinding nine-month battle for the city. The Ukrainian authorities denied the claims and said that fighting in Bakhmut continued. That did not stop
Putin hands an ancient icon over to the Russian Orthodox Church Paid Members Public
President Vladimir Putin responded to “numerous requests from Orthodox worshippers” and donated the famous “Trinity” icon to the Russian Orthodox Church last week. The 15th-century piece is believed to be the work of religious artist Andrei Rublev. Many artists and experts warned against the handover, claiming that the church is
THE BELL WEEKLY: Icon Giveaway Paid Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is President Vladimir Putin’s decision to return a historic religious icon to the Russian Orthodox Church. Then we turn to how Russian propagandists have tried to portray the capture of Bakhmut as a significant military victory for the country’s Armed Forces. And,
Russia’s Central Bank assesses the impact of sanctions on the economy Paid Members Public
The Central Bank issued a new macroeconomic forecast, for the first time taking full account of the consequences of the war in Ukraine. The regulator sees no risk of catastrophe in the coming two years, but at the same time doesn’t see reason for optimism. * The Central Bank’s
Russia puts hopes on an Erdogan victory in Turkey Paid Members Public
The Kremlin’s long-time partner Recep Erdogan did better than expected in the first round of Turkey’s presidential elections this weekend. However, he couldn’t secure a third term in office outright. Now he faces another, even more difficult run-off with opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu in the second round
Georgia emerges as an unlikely Kremlin ally Paid Members Public
The Georgian government’s long and slow drift toward improved relations with Russia has borne some fruit. Last week, President Vladimir Putin canceled visa requirements for Georgian citizens visiting Russia and lifted a flight ban between the two countries. The Georgian government likely achieved these results after refusing to impose
The conflict between Wagner and the Defense Ministry heats up Paid Members Public
Over the last year, mercenary group Wagner and Russia’s Defense Ministry have regularly clashed. Last week, this spat reached new heights when Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin released several clips in which he aggressively accused the Russian defense minister and his chief of staff of failing to provide shells for
