How Rostec cleaned up anonymous Telegram channels — a joint investigation by The Bell with Meduza PRO Members Public
Over the past year, Russian state corporation Rostec has been waging a war on two fronts. In addition to supplying weapons for the Russian military, it’s also fighting to rid Telegram of any criticism of its head, Sergei Chemezov, its former PR chief Vasily Brovko, and his wife Tina
THE BELL WEEKLY: How Putin's friend cleans up Russian media space PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is about how Vladimir Putin's old friend, the influential head of state conglomerate Rostec Sergei Chemezov wages a war on Telegram, a messaging app which has become the most influential social network in Russia. We also look at a “leaked” audio of
Cops threaten customers in a Moscow bar, force them to sing patriotic songs PRO Members Public
Russia is already used to the idea that anti-war protests and even critical comments on social media can land you in jail. Now, it seems that official pressure on opponents of the war is getting even more demonstrative — and sinister. This weekend, police raided two fashionable bars, hitting customers and
Guest list scrutiny as Putin meeting with billionaires PRO Members Public
At his second meeting with major business leaders since the start of the war, Putin last week praised those who “stayed here and didn’t leave.” Behind closed doors, there were discussions of a 300 billion ruble “voluntary contribution” that most businessmen still hope to see presented as a tax
How Russia propaganda tried to explain away an arrest warrant for Putin PRO Members Public
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s arrest on Friday. He is suspected of war crimes — in particular, the illegal deportation of children. This news presented an unexpected challenge to Russian propaganda – for a long time state media struggled to work out its
THE BELL WEEKLY: Arrest warrant conundrum PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is about how Russian media outlets were baffled about how to report on an international arrest warrant issued for Putin. We also look at a major meeting between Putin and top business leaders and police raids on popular bars in Moscow that were demonstratively
Russia’s brands Putin-backed WWF a “foreign agent” PRO Members Public
A notable addition last week to Russia’s “foreign agent” list was the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF). Oddly, this charity was funded by VTB, one of Russia’s biggest state-owned banks, for many years. And Putin has publicly lauded its work. However, in recent years the fund has faced
Russia casts long shadow over Georgia’s political crisis PRO Members Public
A major hub for Russian emigration since the war in Ukraine broke out — Georgia — finds itself at the center of a political crisis due to proposed legislation on “foreign agents.” The bill at the center of the row was endorsed by Georgia’s ruling party, which is accused by many
Russian opposition splits over support for lifting sanctions on oligarchs PRO Members Public
Lobbying by prominent billionaires Mikhail Fridman and Pyotr Aven in an attempt to have European sanctions on them lifted caused a bitter row last week. The tycoons, who are co-owners of one of Russia’s biggest investment outfits, Alfa Group, tried to recruit the leaders of Russia’s opposition in
Oligarchs & the opposition PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is about a group of Russian tycoons who have been recruiting opposition leaders in a bid to help get Western sanctions lifted. We also look at a political crisis in Georgia and why the WWF was designated a “foreign agent” despite historical support from
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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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