The Dozhd conundrum Paid Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is about why Latvia stripped independent media channel Dozhd of its local broadcasting license — and what it means. We also look at The Bell being made a “foreign agent” (finally!) and the return to Russia of notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout after he was
On-air blunder causes trouble for Russia’s main independent TV channel Paid Members Public
Alexei Korostelev, a presenter on Russian independent TV channel Dozhd was dismissed last week after he said on-air that “we hope that we were able to help many soldiers, for example with equipment and basic amenities.” That phrase — which some took as an admission Dozhd was sending supplies to Russian
Russia bans books mentioning LGBT issues Paid Members Public
Russian shops are clearing the shelves of any novels featuring LGBT characters for fear of falling foul of “gay propaganda” laws, while libraries are hiding texts written by “foreign agents,” a Soviet-era term used by the Russian authorities. * Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law Monday a draconian “gay propaganda”
Limits on Russian oil unlikely to pose critical threat to economy Paid Members Public
This week sees the start of several new restrictions on Russian oil exports. An embargo came into force Monday that blocks Russian seaborne oil supplies to Europe. Moreover, on Friday evening, the European Union finally agreed on an important accompanying measure — a price cap on Russian oil that companies from
Oil price cap Paid Members Public
Hello! This week our top story looks at why the West’s price cap for Russian oil is unlikely to have any major immediate impact on the Russian economy. We also look at the claims and counterclaims after a presenter on independent TV channel Dozhd apparently misspoke on air and
Putin talks to ‘soldiers’ mothers’ in staged Kremlin meeting Paid Members Public
Putin last week took part in a meeting with the mothers of soldiers killed in the war in Ukraine. The title “soldiers’ mother” carries a lot of influence in Russia — and Putin was famously humiliated by a group of soldiers’ relatives in his early years as president. Unsurprisingly, Friday’s
Russian start-ups skating on thin ice in the West Paid Members Public
Immigram, a U.K. project with Russian roots, won a competition for start-ups at the prominent Slush conference in Helsinki earlier this month. However, within a few days, the company opted out of the award and the organizers withdrew the €1 million prize. This happened because of criticism on social
Kudrin leaves public office to take top role at new look Yandex Paid Members Public
Former Finance Minister Aleksei Kudrin, once a leading liberal in President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle, is leaving public service to go into business. He is set to take charge of Yandex, Russia’s leading IT company. The transformation of a senior official into a businessman appears to be one
