One more pro-war Russian propagandist is targeted in a car bomb attack Paid Members Public
This weekend saw another attempted assassination of a prominent supporter of Russia’s war. Writer and politician Zakhar Prilepin survived a car bomb but was seriously injured. His driver was killed at the scene. This is the third assassination attempt in the past nine months. Earlier, the daughter of pro-Kremlin
Billionaires compete to buy the ‘Russian Google’ Paid Members Public
Yandex, one of Russia’s biggest IT companies and a local equivalent of Google, is about to decide on its new owners. The corporation is currently going through a “divorce” from its founder, Arkady Volozh, who is retaining part of the company’s businesses to develop them abroad. As The
Russia opts for nationalization of foreign firms Paid Members Public
More than 14 months after launching the invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin has begun to nationalize the assets of foreign companies. A presidential decree published Tuesday bestowing the new powers said they were in response to the nationalization of Russian assets abroad. The first targets were Finland’s Fortum and
State nuclear agency turns to China to build Russian electric vehicles Paid Members Public
Despite being cut off from Western technology, the Kremlin has not given up on creating a Russian electric car. Newspaper Kommersant last week uncovered some of the details. The key to Russia’s project now, according to Kommersant, is Rosatom, the state nuclear agency, which is using Chinese technology to
Russia looks to ensure social media influencers pay tax Paid Members Public
The Russian authorities appear to be continuing in their quest for ways to maximize tax revenue amid Western sanctions and rising military expenditure. Now, even the country’s social media stars are in their sights. Police last week carried out a very public arrest of Yelena Blinovskaya, a self-styled “personal
THE BELL WEEKLY: Squeezing influencers Paid Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is about the high-profile arrest of top social media influencer Yelena Blinovskaya and whether Russia is looking for innovative ways to boost tax revenue. We also look at how Russia is trying to revive its problem-hit electric car program and the Kremlin’s decision
Another scandal hits Russia’s opposition Paid Members Public
Despite the ongoing war in Ukraine influential figures in Russia's opposition continue to squabble among themselves. The latest public spat was between jailed politician Alexei Navalny and former oil magnate Mikhail Khodorkovsky. The fight broke out after Khodorkovsky hired a man blamed for persecuting one of Navalny’s
Did the son of Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov fight in Ukraine? Paid Members Public
The children of Russia’s elite are allegedly joining the ranks of ordinary citizens to fight in Ukraine. The most notable example is Nikolai Choles, the son of the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. Last week, Choles gave an interview to the tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda, where he said he was fighting
