Biden and Russia PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is an analysis of what Russia can expect if Joe Biden wins the U.S. presidential election next month. We also look at the likely next career move for 1990s privatization tsar Anatoly Chubais, and the launch of VTimes, a new, independent business media
Sensei and philosopher – meet Sergei Kiriyenko, the latest EU sanctions target PRO Members Public
The European Union introduced new sanctions against six Russian officials Thursday in response to the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. While most of the names on the list were familiar from previous sanction lists, Sergei Kiriyenko was a new appearance. The first deputy chief of the presidential administration (the
Is Belarus approaching a political denouement? PRO Members Public
A third month of civil disobedience in Belarus began this week as President Alexander Lukashenko met with an opposition leader, albeit in a KGB jail. Meanwhile Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the figurehead of the protest movement, issued a ‘people’s ultimatum’ on behalf of the Belarusian public. Many pointed out that events
‘Deal of the year’ ends in acrimony and insult PRO Members Public
The tie-up between Yandex – the so-called ‘Russian Google’ – and Tinkoff, one of the country’s biggest privately-owned banks, looked to be a match made in heaven. But this week it was all over – less than a month after the initial announcement. The bank said Friday that talks had broken down.
‘Deal of the year’ is off PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is the tale of how Russia’s $5.5 billion ‘deal of year’ between Yandex and Tinkoff Bank fell apart. We also have an in-depth profile of Sergei Kiriyenko, the Kremlin éminence grise who has found himself on an EU sanctions for the first
Russia’s largest bank is using school canteens to collect children’s biometric data PRO Members Public
Hello! Our top story this week is Sberbank harvesting biometric data from hundreds of thousands of Russian schoolchildren. We also discuss Russia’s cautious approach to the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and look at why Moscow is resisting a second lockdown, even as the country reports record numbers of
Russian online giants plot U.S. IPOs PRO Members Public
Russian online giants plot U.S. IPOs This unpredictable year could be set to end with something of a sensation for the Russian business world — not one, but two major Russian firms are planning U.S. IPOs in the coming months. After a series of juicy IPOs in the early
Sberbank vs. Yandex PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is about the big changes for Russia’s online services sector as internet giant Yandex and banking giant Sberbank go head-to-head. We also look at the beginnings of a coronavirus second wave, and the architecture of a radical new approach to economic policy that
What sanctions might Russia face? PRO Members Public
What sanctions might Russia face? The Navalny affair: what sanctions might Russia face? Joe Biden’s possible election to the White House has, for months, been the main sanctions risk for Russia. But now there are at least two more: the protests in Belarus, where Moscow is President Alexander Lukashenko’
Basic instinct diplomacy PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is on high-level damage control by the Kremlin after a crude online joke by a Russian official outraged the Serbian government. We also look at how Russia is supporting Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko as opposition protests enter their second month, and why ex-PM Medvedev
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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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