Russian oil price pain intensifies PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is on what the oil price crash means for Russia and whether the country’s finances can survive. We also have all the latest developments on Russia’s coronavirus epidemic, which is showing signs of plateauing, and look at investor sentiment as Pavel Durov’
Moscow’s digital permit rollout is a shambles PRO Members Public
Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin has been accruing political capital. He introduced lockdown earlier than the federal authorities (here we explain why) and repeatedly urged people to take the epidemic seriously. But his heroic image crumbled this week when the introduction of a new
How wealthy Russians are coping with coronavirus PRO Members Public
The coronavirus has been a test for everyone, but some Russians have more options than most. The Bell investigated (Rus) how Russia’s wealthiest citizens are dealing with the pandemic: self-isolating in mansions, buying ventilators and fueling a black market in tests. * One of Russia’s top-100 richest people told
The bookmakers that almost wangled anti-coronavirus support PRO Members Public
One of the measures to help the economy during Russia’s epidemic is state support for systemically important companies. A list of the firms with this designation was published last week and included Fonbet, the largest and the oldest bookmaker in Russia. The Bell has looked at Fonbet’s links
Digital permit chaos PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is the chaotic rollout of Moscow’s lockdown permit system that created big crowds at subway entrances. We also look at how wealthy Russians are coping with the pandemic and the criminal connections of a bookmaker that got itself in line for anti-crisis handouts
Russia’s coronavirus epidemic continues to grow. What is Putin doing? PRO Members Public
Russia now ranks among the world’s top 20 countries for numbers of COVID-19 patients. Over 10,000 Russians have tested positive for COVID-19, and the rate of growth shows no sign of slowing. Experts believe Russia’s health care system is already failing to cope. Companies are beginning to
Russia’s coronavirus epidemic continues to grow PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our main story is Russia’s coronavirus epidemic that is accelerating fast, particularly in Moscow. We also look at Russia’s role in international oil diplomacy and a new list of 391 websites that the government is making free to access. Russia’s coronavirus epidemic continues to
Are mass surveillance measures a bigger risk than COVID-19? PRO Members Public
Early this week, plans for a system to enforce a Moscow lockdown were leaked on social media (Kommersant newspaper later confirmed their authenticity). It was a terrifying glimpse into an Orwellian future. They consisted of: compulsory QR-codes for all Muscovites further than 100 metres from their homes; a tracking app
Russia gives up controlling stake in Rosneft PRO Members Public
Amid the coronavirus news, you may have missed one of the biggest deals in the Russian oil industry for several years. Oil giant Rosneft announced last weekend that it was selling its Venezuelan business to another state-owned company for $3.8 billion. * All Rosneft’s joint ventures, service companies and
Big Brother during COVID-19 PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is a look at the mass surveillance technology Russia is readying to roll-out as a part of its response to the coronavirus. We also look at Putin’s U-turn on support for oil production cuts, Russia’s month-long public holiday, state-owned oil giant Rosneft’
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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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