IMF upbeat on Russia’s economy Paid Members Public
Hello! This is Alexandra Prokopenko with your weekly guide to the Russian economy — brought to you by The Bell. In this newsletter, we’ll look at whether the IMF’s rosy predictions for Russia’s economy are realistic, Putin’s upcoming state-of-the-nation address and U.S. warnings to countries helping
Russia bans Meduza, the country’s largest independent media organization Paid Members Public
Russia named independent news outlet Meduza an “undesirable” organization Thursday, effectively banning its work in the country. Meduza has the biggest audience of any independent media source, attracting tens of millions of readers to its site every month (by comparison, The Bell’s Russian-language site has just over one million
Wagner founder Prigozhin finds a vocal parliamentary ally Paid Members Public
Mercenary company Wagner, which is fighting alongside the Russian army in Ukraine, still has no official legal status in Russia. However, that is proving no problem for its founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, as he seeks support in Russia’s parliament. One of the most vocal (albeit not hugely influential) supporters of
Putin’s foreign friends Paid Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is Russian President Vladimir Putin’s long-standing foreign friends and how they are faring amid the Ukraine war. We also look at mercenary company Wagner’s new political ally, and the outlawing of Meduza, Russia’s top independent media outlet. Putin’s foreign friends
Putin’s foreign friends complain of bullying, wonder why they are “toxic” Paid Members Public
German newspaper Die Zeit last week published an interview with Matthias Warnig, head of the company that was due to take charge of the never-opened Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Europe. Warnig, who worked for East Germany’s Stasi in the 1970s, got to know Vladimir Putin
Putin’s got plenty of money to keep fighting Paid 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
Putin won’t run out of money for his war any time soon Paid 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 Paid 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
