Speculation is rife about a nuclear accident in Russia’s north PRO Members Public
Hello! This week we try to separate fact from fiction in the mysterious nuclear accident just off Russia’s Arctic coast. We also look at how one of Putin’s best friends is in line to receive billions of dollars from Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, why Russia will lag
Russia is suffering from the U.S.-China trade war PRO Members Public
Hello! This week we look at why Russia is hurting as a result of the escalating U.S.-China trade war, how the authorities are increasing the pressure on Moscow’s protest movement (that is showing no signs of fizzling out) and what lessons are being learnt in the Kremlin
Moscow protests fuel Russia’s biggest political crisis in 7 years PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is the opposition protests in Moscow that are fueling Russia’s biggest political crisis in almost a decade — Saturday will see yet another large rally. We also have the highlights from an investigation by The Bell into a huge money laundering empire run by
The rise and fall of an FSB-run money laundering empire PRO Members Public
As the head of the banking oversight department at Russia’s domestic intelligence agency, Colonel Kyrill Cherkalin wielded immense power: with a click of his fingers, he could cause bankruptcy or give a zombie bank a new lease of life. But then it all went wrong: earlier this year he
How to lose $1 bln in a week: new legislation could pave the way for the state to take control of Yandex PRO Members Public
Hello! This week we explore a proposed new law that could have dramatic consequences for internet giant Yandex, one of Russia’s most successful companies. We also look at a report about Putin’s eldest daughter’s getting involved in big business, how a conflict over local elections in Moscow
The Russian elite is jostling to solve Putin’s ‘2024 problem’ PRO Members Public
Hello! This week we look at how a senior official wants President Vladimir Putin stay in power after his current term ends in 2024. We also explain why protests over the exclusion of independent candidates from local elections is a sign of a system under strain, and how Moscow is
An escape of the banking supervision official sheds light on shady financial practices PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our main story is The Bell scoop on the link between a senior government official, FSB and billions stolen from the Russian financial system. We also explain why “Russia’s Amazon” is under threat (Sberbank and Yandex have been developing an e-commerce platform but now they are
This exposé of Moscow’s funeral business is a snapshot of modern Russia PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our main story is a summary of Ivan Golunov’s powerful investigation into Moscow’s funeral business that takes in everything from venal intelligence officers to Lamborghinis, nightclubs and a cemetery shoot-out. We also analyse the blame game among officials as the Russian economy slides towards recession,
The sixth leading Russian businessman this year is facing major criminal charges PRO Members Public
Hello! This week we take a long look at a major criminal investigation into Russian businessman Sergei Petrov, owner of Rolf Group, who has been accused of illegal currency transfers. We also dissect grandiose plans for an ‘Orthodox Vatican’ to be built in the town of Sergiev Posad just outside
Meet the Russian soldier whose online chats gave away military secrets PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our main story is a scoop about the Russian soldier who unwittingly provided international investigators with key evidence about the downing of Flight MH17 over Eastern Ukraine in 2014. We also take a look at how the growing reserves in Russia’s significant wealth funds could be
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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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