Delta variant spike Paid Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is about an unfolding coronavirus catastrophe in Moscow where daily cases are now at their highest level since the start of the pandemic. We also look at why Russian state television got so excited about the Putin-Biden summit in Geneva, and government proposals to
Russian YouTube stars hit with legal troubles Paid Members Public
After pressuring independent media and supporters of opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, the Russian authorities appear to be turning their fire on social media influencers. In the space of a few days last week, Russia’s most popular YouTube star, Yuri Dud, was charged with promoting drug use, while blogger and
Russia’s Amazon? Yandex in talks to acquire major grocery store chain Azbuka Vkusa Paid Members Public
The ‘Russian Google’ might be turning into the ‘Russian Amazon’. Last week it emerged that IT giant Yandex was in talks to buy premium grocery store chain Azbuka Vkusa, which is a symbol of affluent Moscow living. It was The Bell that first reported Yandex’s flirtation with offline retail,
FSB poison squad reportedly targeted prominent poet Paid Members Public
Investigative outlet Bellingcat published a long article Wednesday about the previously unknown activities of a group of Russian intelligence officers who poisoned Navalny last year. This time, their target was not a politician but poet Dmitry Bykov, who is well-known for criticizing the authorities. The most surprising thing was not
Coming for YouTube Paid Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is about the legal troubles facing two major YouTube bloggers — the widely popular Yuri Dud and formerly influential Yuri Khovansky. We also look at how IT giant Yandex is looking to break into the online grocery store business, and why Russian intelligence officers reportedly
The state is everywhere at St. Petersburg Forum Paid Members Public
The first St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) since the pandemic wasn’t the most exciting. But it was honest — almost all discussions revolved around the Russian state’s role in the economy, with an unprecedentedly small focus on international matters. Businesses also learned a bit more about proposed new
Seized Belarusian journalist paraded on TV Paid Members Public
Belarusian state TV channel ONT broadcast Thursday a 90-minute interview with Roman Protasevich, the journalist arrested when Minsk forced down a civilian plane last month. Viewers compared the spectacle to George Orwell’s ‘Ministry of Love’ from his dystopian novel 1984 in which a character under torture is forced to
From Russia with groceries Paid Members Public
Foreigners who come to Russia are amazed by two things: first, that even a tip or a charitable donation can be made by card with a couple of clicks, and second that in Moscow or St. Petersburg nobody sees anything odd in ordering a single loaf of bread or an
