Constitutional changes mean Putin can rule through 2036 PRO Members Public
If you have glanced at the news from Russia this week, you will know that President Vladimir Putin approved changes Tuesday to Russia’s constitution allowing him to ‘reset’ his presidential term count and — at least in theory — remain president until 2036. In April, the new constitution will be put
The eternal president PRO Members Public
Hello! Before we get into what happened this week (spoiler: a lot), we’d like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you for subscribing to The Bell. We hope you value our newsletter. But in order to be able to continue what we do, we need your
Russia braces for oil shock PRO Members Public
Hello! Before we get into what happened this week, we’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you for being a subscriber to The Bell. We hope you value what we do. In order to be able to continue our newsletter, we have to keep growing, and to
Where do Russia’s wealthy keep their money? PRO Members Public
The richest men and women in Russia prefer to invest in bonds, have begun paying more taxes in Russia and are looking to extract assets from Cyprus and Latvia, according to a survey (Rus) published Thursday by Ernst & Young and international real estate broker Tranio. We gathered some of
Accusations fly as political prisoners accused of murder PRO Members Public
Russia’s most popular independent media outlet, Meduza, waded into a firestorm this week when it published an investigation into a group of men recently given huge jail sentences on dubious terrorism charges. In the article, former associates of the accused claimed they were involved in drug dealing, and had
Under fire, Mishustin seeks to save reputation through media manipulation PRO Members Public
Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has been in the job for 1.5 months, but discussions of his income and expensive real estate holdings refuse to die. In part, it is Mishustin and those close to him who have kept the conversation going — this week, they made a fourth attempt to
Mishustin feels the heat PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is about Russia’s new prime minister’s real estate holdings and how he’s using the media to try and clear up his image. We also look at the scandal over media outlet Meduza’s article accusing political prisoners of murder, a survey
Can a Soviet-developed medicine treat coronavirus? PRO Members Public
This week, China included a drug invented in the Soviet Union, Arbidol, in a draft plan (Chi) for treating coronavirus. The Bell’s article on this caused a social media storm, so we decided to explain why Russians are so concerned with Arbidol, and how it links to Putin. * Arbidol
Putin goes YouTube-style in new interview PRO Members Public
Russian President Vladimir Putin said little that was newsworthy in a video interview released Thursday by state-owned news agency TASS. Instead, discussion focused on the format of the interview, which was an obvious copy of popular YouTube vloggers — an apparent attempt to help the Russian leader reach out to new
Liable for $50 billion? PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is the fallout from the latest ruling by a Dutch court in a $50 billion case brought against the Russian state by ex-Yukos shareholders. We also look at a new video interview with Putin that mimics a YouTube blog, how a Soviet-developed drug that
We are working for you
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.
Read about us
