Kremlin puts constitutional referendum above all else PRO Members Public
Lockdown in Moscow was lifted suddenly last week. The explanation is simple: the government wants people to have a breather before a constitutional referendum scheduled for July 1. Amid rising social disaffection, every weapon in the Kremlin’s armory has been deployed to secure a ‘yes’ result. All the constitutional
Referendum, referendum, referendum PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our main story is about the upcoming constitutional referendum for which the Kremlin is doing everything it can to secure a ‘yes’ vote. We also look at the case of famous actor Mikhail Yefremov whose drink-driving caused a fatal car accident and the arrest of the head
Yandex and Sberbank give up on ‘Russian Amazon’ PRO Members Public
Russia’s biggest internet company, Yandex, and the country’s largest bank, state-owned Sberbank, have ended their ‘Russian Amazon’ project. The Bell learnt this week that the JV created by the two companies in 2018 to dominate the local e-commerce market will be broken up. At the same time, Yandex
Constitutional referendum set for 1 July amid fraud fears PRO Members Public
Skeptics believe Russia’s race to ease lockdown is because Putin wants to hold a vote on constitutional reform — that would allow him to remain president until 2036 — as soon as possible. This week, Putin announced that the referendum will be held on 1 July. From the Kremlin’s point
Record Arctic oil spill PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is a catastrophic oil spill in the Russian Arctic that has shone a spotlight on the practices of mining titan Norilsk Nickel, a symbol of post-Soviet capitalism. We also look at opportunities for fraud in the upcoming constitutional referendum, and the final split between
Russia greenlights exam for 700,000 schoolchildren PRO Members Public
For 700,000 high school leavers, the main issue during the pandemic has not been a military parade, but the status of the Unified State Exam (USE) that is required by all Russian universities. The USE usually takes place in May, but was suspended this year. Officials have been terrified
SpaceX launch is a blow to Russia’s wallet PRO Members Public
The launch of Elon Musk’s crewed spaceship, expected to go ahead this weekend, will be a big blow for Russia’s ambitions in space. The issue is not just the loss of a $300 million annual contract for space corporation Roscosmos, but some see this as a moment demonstrating
Putin plans mass events as coronavirus peak passes PRO Members Public
President Vladimir Putin announced Tuesday that Russia has weathered the worst of its coronavirus outbreak. And this was immediately followed by confirmation that two mass events would take place in June: a military parade to mark the end of the Second World War, and a remembrance procession usually attended by
Russia plans mass events in June PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our main story is about Putin’s plans to hold mass events nationwide at the end of June amid some evidence that the coronavirus peak has passed. We also look at why Russia decided to hold high school leaver exams despite the epidemic, and what the SpaceX
What did Russia spend on its coronavirus handouts? PRO Members Public
The Russian government is already preparing (Rus) to lift lockdown and restart the economy, which means there are unlikely to be any new anti-crisis measures. The Bell calculated that the total amount of support for Russia’s coronavirus-hit economy amounted to 2.6 percent of GDP, up to five times
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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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