Russia’s new richest person Paid Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is about Russia’s new richest person, Suleiman Kerimov, whose 2009 gold mining investment has paid off spectacularly during the pandemic. We also look at Russia’s withdrawal from a tax treaty with Cyprus that will mean major changes for business, and we have
What links Russia to Germany’s Wirecard scandal? Paid Members Public
One of the main figures in the collapse of German payment firm Wirecard, chief operating officer Jan Marsalek, is reportedly hiding somewhere near Moscow. The Bell looked at Wirecard’s connections with Russia, and why Marsalek visited the country over 60 times in a decade. * It’s perhaps no coincidence
Russian mercenaries arrested in Belarus Paid Members Public
The already stormy Belarusian presidential election campaign became even more dramatic Wednesday with the arrest of 32 alleged Russian mercenaries. The Belarusian authorities identified the men as employees of the notorious mercenary outfit Wagner, and it led to a diplomatic row between Minsk and Moscow. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is
Mercenaries in Minsk Paid Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is the detention of 32 Russian mercenaries in Belarus ahead of the country’s closely-fought presidential elections. We also have data from The Bell’s investigation into sexual harassment in the workplace, and a breakdown of Russia’s role in the activities of Wirecard,
Moscow sends new governor to protest-hit Khabarovsk Paid Members Public
Street demonstrations in the Far East city of Khabarovsk over the arrest of local governor Sergei Furgal show no sign of fading away. Moscow this week poured fuel on the fire when it appointed Mikhail Degtyarev, 39, as Furgal’s replacement. Like Furgal, Degtyarev is a member of the right
Russia set to copy Mexico’s oil price insurance policy Paid Members Public
During heated negotiations this spring between major oil producers, Mexico held out longest against a coordinated output cut. The reason? The country’s two-decade strategy of oil price hedging means it is largely immune to the effects of an oil price collapse. State-owned oil giant Rosneft has now recommended to
Why the U.K. ‘Russia report’ went unnoticed in Russia Paid Members Public
This was a week of Russia stories in the West. The U.K. parliament published Tuesday a report on Russian interference, then, the following day, the U.S. House of Representatives introduced a draft bill for new Russian sanctions. The latter raised few eyebrows: there was no new rationale, or
Russia report skepticism Paid Members Public
Hello! This week we spotlight the Russia report published by the U.K. parliament, and share some thoughts on sources and expertise. We also examine the possibility of the Kremlin greenlighting a Mexico-style financial hedge to protect against oil price falls, and the appointment of a new governor to a