Putin won’t run out of money for his war any time soon PRO Members Public
One of the main aims of Western sanctions against Russia is to reduce Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ability to pay for his war in Ukraine. Since the invasion, Russia has lost access to about half of its reserves of gold and foreign currency — while economic links between firms, in
Russian oil price fall shows no sign of stopping PRO Members Public
Prices for Russian oil continue to drop and they are now about $46 a barrel — that’s almost half the price of crude benchmark Brent. At the same time, Russian oil exports have reached their highest level since April and Russian oil companies are preparing for Feb. 5 when the
The war reaches Moscow with the installation of anti-aircraft systems PRO Members Public
Videos that emerged on social media last week showed anti-aircraft defenses being installed on the roofs of buildings in downtown Moscow. Officially, nobody is commenting on this, but the clips were rapidly spread by — among others — pro-war and propaganda Telegram channels. In addition to any military need for the weapons,
Russia’s IT exodus and the Kremlin’s futile efforts to reverse it PRO Members Public
The outflow of IT professionals from Russia continues 11 months after the invasion of Ukraine. About 100,000 of them left last year — about 10% of the country’s total. So far, efforts by the authorities to lure them back have been largely unsuccessful. * In late December, the Ministry of
IT exodus PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is on the ongoing flood of IT professionals leaving Russia and some unsuccessful attempts to tempt them back. We also look at the very public installation of air defense systems in Moscow and the dropping price of Russian oil. Russia’s IT exodus and
Your guide to the Russian economy PRO Members Public
Dear reader, Welcome to a new newsletter from The Bell. For now, we are trying this as an experiment — but we are hoping to make it a permanent feature. You can subscribe to the newsletter here. And please let us know your feedback here! This letter is an in-depth analysis
Russia’s Defense Ministry praises Wagner Group mercenaries PRO Members Public
Russia’s Defense Ministry made a rare public acknowledgement Friday of the success of mercenary group Wagner in the war in Ukraine. The ministry said that Wagner soldiers successfully captured the small town of Soledar in the Donetsk Region. This recognition comes amid a long-running conflict between the Armed Forces
Russia considers confiscating real estate of anti-war emigres PRO Members Public
Russian officials last year regularly proposed punishments for anyone who had left the country and continued to criticize the regime from abroad. Last week, however, this question was raised once again — and more seriously. The authorities made it clear they are working on something concrete that can be used against
Falling oil prices threaten to blow a $15bln hole in Russia’s finances PRO Members Public
A little over a month since they were imposed, Europe’s embargo on Russian oil and a price cap imposed by the G7 are having an impact. The price of Russian benchmark Urals crude plummeted in December and at a 40% discount to the global standard, Brent. That discrepancy threatens
$15bln hole PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is about how Europe’s embargo on Russian oil and the G7’s price cap are causing financial problems for the Kremlin. We also look at some of the measures proposed by Russian officials who want to punish anti-war emigres and why the Russian
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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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