The Navalny effect PRO Members Public
Hello! This week we focus on how the recent Navalny protests led to a significant jump in subscriptions and donations for independent media outlets and NGOs. We also look at why the Kremlin was irritated by leaks from a recent meeting with top journalists, and we have highlights from a
Navalny jailed PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is the arrest and intimidation of supporters of opposition leader Alexei Navalny ahead of another round of nationwide protests Sunday. We also look at how Russia’s state propaganda machine has tried to explain evidence of ‘Putin’s palace’, and increasing government efforts to
Crackdown on Navalny allies PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is the arrest and intimidation of supporters of opposition leader Alexei Navalny ahead of another round of nationwide protests Sunday. We also look at how Russia’s state propaganda machine has tried to explain evidence of ‘Putin’s palace’, and increasing government efforts to
Russian IT company saves U.S. far right app Parler PRO Members Public
Messaging service Parler, popular among the far right and ex-U.S. President Donald Trump’s more radical supporters, was removed by the Apple store and blocked by Amazon earlier this month. But it bounced back this week with a Russian accent. Parler’s return is at least partially due to
Mordashov’s son is conscripted, booted out of family business PRO Members Public
Nikita Mordashov is one of the most privileged children on the planet: his father, Alexei Mordashov controls steelmaker Severstal and is ranked the fourth richest person in Russia by Forbes magazine with an estimated fortune of $16.8 billion. But this week Nikita was sent off to do military service
Russia rocked by nationwide protests in support of Navalny PRO Members Public
Demonstrations Saturday in support of detained opposition leader Alexei Navalny were the biggest protests to go ahead without an official permit for many years. An estimated 20,000 to 40,000 people turned out in Moscow, and overall up to 100,000 were on the streets in about 100 cities.
Rallying for Navalny PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is the nationwide protest that took place over the arrest of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. We also look at why the son of one of Russia’s richest men has been kicked out of the family business and sent off to do military service,
Telegram at $30bln PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is about the recent success of messaging Telegram, its $30 billion valuation and a hunt for new investment. We also look at the possible fallout of Alexei Navalny’s decision to return to Russia this weekend, and the secrecy and speculation surrounding Russia’s
The main stories from Russia in 2020 PRO Members Public
Hello! In our last newsletter of 2020, we pick the top six stories from the outgoing year — the trends, events or developments without which it would be impossible to understand Russia today. In top place, predictably, is the coronavirus pandemic, but we also recap constitutional changes that allow Putin to
Putin’s Novichok ambiguity PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our main story is about the real meaning behind Putin’s comments on a blockbuster investigation suggesting an FSB hit squad poisoned Navalny. We also look at why the demand for Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine has been so weak, and tell the story of Oleg Tinkov, a
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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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