One of Russia’s top law enforcement officers uses a magnifying glass to look at his laptop PRO Members Public
Photos recently released by the Investigative Committee show its head, Alexander Bastrykin, using a magnifying glass to look intently at the screen of a laptop. The images were taken during a meeting, which was heavily publicized by the Investigative Committee, one of Russia’s most powerful law enforcement bodies. This
Yandex launches its new social media network and is immediately accused of censorship PRO Members Public
Last weekend, Russian internet giant Yandex launched (Rus) a test version of its own social media network, Aura. The key difference with platforms like Facebook is that your newsfeed is not made up of posts by your friends, but by an algorithm’s calculation of your interests. Aura’s interface
Will the power transition in Kazakhstan become a model for Putin? PRO Members Public
The resignation of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who is trying to retain control while handing power to a designated successor, is a very important moment for the Kremlin. Nazarbayev, 78, is the last remaining leader of a post-Soviet country who has been in power since the fall of the USSR
The role of UK law in Russian business is huge. A new twist in the Baring Vostok case could put an end to it PRO Members Public
Artyom Avetisyan, the businessman assumed to be behind the arrest of U.S. investor Michael Calvey, has demanded that a dispute over Vostochny Bank involving Calvey’s Baring Vostok be heard in Russia — even though the shareholders agreement says all disagreements will be tried in the United Kingdom. If Avetisyan
A twist in the Baring Vostok case could reduce the role of UK law in Russian business PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is a legal precedent that could mean businesses in Russia can no longer rely on UK courts in the case of disputes. We also look out what implications the power transition in Kazakhstan could have for Russia, the rollout of internet giant Yandex’s
Internet giant Yandex buys former Russian journalist’s media start-up PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our main story is about ex-journalist Tonia Samsonova pulled off a major feat when she successfully sold her Russian media start-up to Yandex. We also look at new U.S. sanctions on Evrofinance Mosnarbank, one of the last remnants of Soviet foreign banking, the reinstatement of Ivan
Maduro’s ‘secret wallet’ turned out to be a Russian prank. Both Bloomberg and the Venezuelan opposition fell for it PRO Members Public
What happened Last week, Bloomberg reported on the existence of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s ‘secret wallet’ citing opposition representative Carlos Vecchio (who is responsible for relations between Juan Guaido’s government and the U.S.). Vecchio claimed that Maduro holds millions of dollars stolen from the state in funds
It is now illegal to publish ‘fake news’ or criticize the government online PRO Members Public
What happened This week, the Duma passed two new laws limiting freedom of speech. One punishes those publishing fake news, the other punishes those spreading defamatory information about the authorities. There is nothing in either law about how information will be classified as defamatory or fake, nor about the mechanisms
“It’s not propaganda”: a Khodorkovsky ally became a top manager at RT PRO Members Public
What happened It’s difficult to imagine a person with Maria Baronova’s biography working at RT. She took part in anti-Kremlin protests in 2011-12, participated in elections as a member of the opposition’s coordinating committee, corresponded with billionaire Mikhail Khodorkovsky while he was in prison and then became
Report on Troika Dialog money laundering sparks a controversy in the Russian business community PRO Members Public
What happened The big news this past week was the publication of the OCCRP investigation of a network of offshore companies used by investment bank Troika Dialog to transfer more than $4.8 billion out of Russia between 2006 and 2013. While the share price of several European banks named
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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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