The Bell

Gazprom seeks to acquire one of Russia’s biggest mobile operators Members Public

Russia’s monopoly gas exporter Gazprom is planning to use its structures to acquire Megafon, one of the country’s leading mobile operators. Six separate sources familiar with the market told The Bell about the proposed deal. According to one of them, Gazprom Media is the likely suitor for the

The Bell

Gazprom Eyes Megafon Aquisition Members Public

Hello! Our top story this week is about state gas giant Gazprom’s plans to expand its empire and acquire one of the country’s largest mobile operators. We’ll also cover the leak that illuminates the inner workings of Roskomnadzor’s online censorship machine and the lengthy prison sentence

The Bell

A tax that isn’t a tax Members Public

Hello! This is Alexandra Prokopenko with your weekly guide to the Russian economy — brought to you by The Bell. In today’s newsletter, we’ll look in depth at the state of Russia’s budget and the Kremlin’s linked attempt to impose a special levy of up to $3.

The Bell

IMF predicts Russian economy to rebound in 2023 Members Public

International economic institutions, which recently doubted Russia’s economy could survive under Western sanctions, are now sounding more optimistic than even the Russian government. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), known for its gloomy forecasts, this week predicted Russia’s GDP will grow 0.3% this year. * The typically conservative IMF

The Bell

Putin tries to inspire Russia with the legend of Stalingrad Members Public

Ahead of an anticipated Russian offensive in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin is attempting to galvanize society by invoking the sacred legacy of World War II — or, as it is known in Russia, the Great Patriotic War. Last week, Putin went to Volgograd, which briefly re-adopted its historical name of Stalingrad.

The Bell

Latest Western oil embargo expected to have minimal impact Members Public

A Western embargo on Russian oil products came into force Sunday — along with the related price cap. Oil products are a market segment in which Russian companies will have a hard time replacing European costumes with Asian ones (traditionally, Asian countries only buy crude oil from Russia). Gasoline prices in

The Bell

Oil product embargo Members Public

Hello! Our top story this week is about the imposition of the West’s oil product embargo, Putin’s attempt to use the World War II battle of Stalingrad to rally support for the Ukraine war and the International Monetary Fund’s surprisingly positive forecast for the Russian economy. Latest

The Bell

IMF predicts Russian economy to rebound in 2023 Members Public

International economic institutions, which recently doubted Russia’s economy could survive under Western sanctions, are now sounding more optimistic than even the Russian government. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), known for its gloomy forecasts, this week predicted Russia’s GDP will grow at 0.3% this year. The typically conservative

The Bell

The Bell's Newsletter

An inside look at the Russian economy and politics. Exclusively in your inbox every week.