Pro-war media PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is an investigation into one of Russia’s biggest pro-war Telegram channels, which has been anonymous until now. We also look at how Russia ignored the extra-judicial killing of an ex-convict recruited to fight in Ukraine and the ways foreign companies are trying to
Kherson retreat PRO Members Public
Hello! This week we devote the whole of our newsletter to the Russian army’s latest defeat in Ukraine: the evacuation of the right bank of the Dnipro River and the abandonment of the city of Kherson, the only regional capital captured by Russia in eight months of war. The
Anti-war tycoon pledges to sue his ex-bank for using his name in branding PRO Members Public
Oleg Tinkov, the former billionaire best known for founding Tinkoff Bank, one of the biggest in Russia, was forced to sell his business to billionaire Vladimir Potanin for just 3% of its market value earlier this year. In an interview published last week with The Bell’s founder, Elizaveta Osetinksaya,
Russian anti-war congress sees more argument than consensus PRO Members Public
The so-called Russian Congress of People’s Deputies opened last week in Poland, bringing together disparate Russian opposition politicians. The congress’s main aim was to establish a basis for rebuilding Russia in the post-Putin era — but it was poorly-attended and more dominated by arguments than constructive suggestions for the
Russia’s war cheerleaders wield limited influence within the country’s elite PRO Members Public
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the loudest pro-war voices in the Russian elite have not been those of President Vladimir Putin and his Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, but those of a disparate elite group including former president Dmitry Medvedev, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and Yevgeny Prigozhin,
Pro-war paper tigers PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is a look about to what extent top pro-war voices in the Russian elite are becoming more powerful. We also look at some of the arguments at a controversial gathering of anti-war Russians in Poland and review a colorful interview given by anti-war Russian
What does Russia’s withdrawal from the Ukraine grain deal mean? PRO Members Public
A large drone attack Saturday on Russia’s Black Sea Fleet was cited by Russia the same day as its reason for withdrawing from a UN-brokered deal to export grain from Ukraine. Putin had spoken about the possibility of Russia backing out of the agreement at the start of September.
Stooge or Dissident? Ex-presidential candidate Sobchak flees Russia PRO Members Public
Police detained Kirill Sukhanov, the commercial director of Sobchak’s media company, and Ariana Romanovskaya, the editor of one of Sobchak’s Telegram channels, on Tuesday. The following morning, they searched Sobchak’s home outside Moscow, although by that time she was already on her way to the border. State
Sobchak Out PRO Members Public
Hello! Our top story this week is about former presidential candidate Ksenia Sobchak who has fled the country amid the threat of criminal prosecution. While sometimes portrayed as a principled dissident, many others see Sobchak as a Kremlin stooge — the real story is more nuanced. We also look at the
Russian deputies want expand the law on “gay propaganda” — and increase discrimination against LGBT people PRO Members Public
In Russia, which already condemned by human rights activists for its anti-LGBT policies, tough new laws for promoting “non-traditional” relationships are on the way. Previously, “gay propaganda” had to be kept away from children and teenagers; now, legislators intend to apply the restrictions to content aimed at all ages. LGBT
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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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