Record Arctic oil spill Paid 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 Paid 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 Paid 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 Paid 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 Paid 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? Paid 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
Rosneft on the rampage Paid Members Public
Hello! This week our main story is Rosneft’s enormous damage claim against business news website RBC that has sent shockwaves through the media industry. We also calculate exactly what Russia’s anti-crisis spending package will cost (spoiler: it’s much less generous than most Western countries), and look at
What’s wrong with Russia’s COVID-19 statistics? Paid Members Public
Low COVID-19 mortality rates in Russia became a major political issue this week. When three Western media outlets reported that COVID-19 deaths have been consistently underestimated, it caused a storm of indignation from Russian officials. The Bell examined official documents that showed Russia compiles its statistics very differently to most
