Police raid private parties in search of “LGBT propaganda” Paid Members Public
After Russia’s Supreme Court outlawed the “international LGBT movement” as extremist last year, security forces and intelligence officers immediately began raiding night clubs linked to the LGBT+ community and other public events where there was the slightest hint that they had an LGBT+ connection. Now the police have stepped
Alexei Navalny’s body handed over after public outcry Paid Members Public
While opposition leader Alexei Navalny was alive, the authorities took every opportunity to make his life as difficult as possible. This persecution continued even after his death. Only at the last moment and after a series of public arguments and interventions did investigators hand Navalny's body over to
THE BELL WEEKLY: Navalny’s body released Paid Members Public
Hello! This week we look at the unsavoury battle to secure the release of Alexei Navanly’s body. We also cover an escalation in raids against the LGBT+ community and how Moscow largely ignored the second anniversary of its invasion of Ukraine. Alexei Navalny’s body handed over after public
How Russia's economy survived two years of war Paid Members Public
Hello! Welcome to your weekly guide to the Russian economy — written by Alexandra Prokopenko, Alexander Kolyandr and Denis Kasyanchuk and brought to you by The Bell. To mark the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we take an in depth look at how Russia’s economy has
How Russia uses China to get round sanctions Paid Members Public
Hello! We took a break last week to bring you a special newsletter on the shock news of the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Here is your slightly delayed weekly guide to the Russian economy. Our top story is about how China is helping Russia skirt Western sanctions. We
THE BELL WEEKLY: Opposition leader Alexei Navalny dies in prison Paid Members Public
Hello! Instead of the usual economic analysis, our newsletter this week is devoted to the announcement Friday of the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. We look at what we know so far about his death, how events unfolded after the announcement, and what the reaction has been among world
Russia blocks the only anti-war candidate from running against Putin Paid Members Public
Russia's Central Election Commission has finally blocked Boris Nadezhdin — the only anti-war campaigner to make it this far — from registering as a candidate in next month's presidential election. * Nadezhdin's campaign submitted 105,000 signatures in support of his candidacy, giving them a possible 5%
Yandex: the end of independence Paid Members Public
For the past 25 years, Yandex, arguably Russia’s most innovative company, has struggled to preserve its independence from the Kremlin. The announcement of a planned $5.2-billion deal to sell the company’s Russian businesses to a consortium of investors brought an end to that era, raising questions over
