Academic soul-searching Paid Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is on why the resignation of the head of one of Russia’s most prestigious universities is a significant moment for society. We also look at how Moscow’s ‘backdoor lockdown’ is wreaking havoc on the hospitality sector, the highlights of Putin’s annual
Russia seeks to avoid lockdown as coronavirus cases climb Paid Members Public
Top Russian officials seemed determined not to resort to a lockdown this week amid a nationwide rise in coronavirus case numbers and few signs that vaccination uptake was growing. Even as local authorities introduced new restrictions, experts warned only a full lockdown could guarantee a significant reduction in infections and
New tax to force metal companies to 'share' profits Paid Members Public
These are good times for Russia’s economic interventionists. It emerged Thursday that Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov has successfully lobbied for a special tax to oblige Russia’s metals giants to hand over about $2 million in “super-profits” from a global commodity boom. Belousov has promised this is only
Russia earmarks $11 billion for electric vehicle development Paid Members Public
A new state program has earmarked 800 billion rubles ($11 billion) to develop electric transport, according to media reports Wednesday. That’s almost twice as much money as a previous version of the program. The program’s targets have also been made more ambitious and now envisage the production of
Coronavirus quandary Paid Members Public
Hello! Our top story this week is about spiking coronavirus cases in Russia and whether new restrictions and some mandatory vaccination will be enough to slow the spread of the Delta variant. We also look at a state raid on the ‘super-profits’ of top metals companies and an $11 billion
Vaccination failure and Delta variant push Russia toward catastrophic coronavirus third wave Paid Members Public
Official unwillingness to impose unpopular coronavirus restrictions ahead of September parliamentary elections, distrust of Russia’s vaccines and a new coronavirus variant combined last week to put Moscow at the epicenter of a new wave of the pandemic. What’s happening? The coronavirus situation in Moscow has lurched from worrying
Putin meets Biden amid a frenzy of Russian propaganda Paid Members Public
Nobody expected much from the Geneva summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his counterpart Joe Biden, and not much was delivered. None of the major disputes between Russia and the U.S. moved closer to a resolution, even though the talks apparently went well. But the summit was a
Russia proposes state control over access to porn websites Paid Members Public
The Russian agency responsible for regulating online content is proposing to limit access to pornography by making it available exclusively via state-run services. The authorities have long tried to combat pornography, but their efforts have met little success. * Newspaper Kommersant published an article Wednesday about watchdog Roskomnadzor’s plans to
