Russia’s toehold of influence in Latin America under threat amid Venezuelan turmoil PRO Members Public
Hello! Many are predicting a big geopolitical reversal for Moscow amid possible regime change in Venezuela, so we analyze the extent of Russia-Venezuela ties as our top story this week. But you can also read our deep dive into the world of Belarusian escort Nastya Rybka to try and understand
Despite delay, Durov on track to launch his cryptocurrency in March PRO Members Public
The founder of Telegram and Vkontakte, Pavel Durov, is preparing to launch TON, his blockchain platform and cryptocurrency, for which Telegram raised $1.7 billion a year ago. A key meeting with major investors should take place within a month, sources familiar with the plans told The Bell. Durov’s
Deportation, detention and up to 8 years prison: the latest on Nastya Rybka PRO Members Public
Thai Immigration police officers escort Anastasia Vashukevich towards a vehicle to take her to the airport for deportation in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) What happened Escort Nastya Rybka (whose real name is Anastasia Vashukevich), caused a sensation a year ago when opposition figure Aleksei
The media outlet that exposed Prigozhin is sold to a magazine magnate PRO Members Public
Hello! Our top story this week is about why a glossy magazine magnate bought a small media outlet that punched above its weight with blockbuster investigations into a controversial businessman close to Putin. We also look at a billionaire’s son and his investment in the world’s first cryptocurrency
Scoop: Russian officials wrote an economic program for Venezuelan President Maduro’s second term PRO Members Public
On Thursday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro began his second term after being re-elected last year despite annual hyperinflation of 1,300,000% and an economic collapse that has created millions of refugees. Russia has long sponsored Maduro’s regime, like Hugo Chavez’s regime before that, and is the only
Russian officials wrote an economic program for Venezuelan President Maduro’s second term PRO Members Public
Hello! In our first regular newsletter of the new year, we’ve got a scoop about how Russian officials are trying to help Venezuelan President Maduro extricate his country from economic collapse. You can also read about one particularly painful consequence of Western sanctions for the Russian aviation industry, the
Looking ahead: what to watch in Russia in 2019 PRO Members Public
Hello! As the world goes back to work after the New Year holidays, Russians still have a few days off left. But to kick off 2019, we sum up some of the major developments of last year for you and look forward to the year to come, with some tentative
Lifting some sanctions is a boost for the Russian market, blow for Deripaska PRO Members Public
Hello! This week we have lots of news about metals tycoon Oleg Deripaska. Our leading story is about how Deripaska struck a deal with the U.S. to get sanctions on his companies lifted, but we also unpick the details of Davos’ decision to invite Deripaska and two other tycoons
Outrage as architect of 1990s privatization bemoans lack of ‘gratitude’ PRO Members Public
What happened The topic of 1990s privatization can lead to violent disputes in Russia even thirty years later. This week, there was heated debate about a speech given by the architect of privatization, Anatoly Chubais, in which he said that Russian society should be grateful to Russian businessmen, and not
Hawks propose a Chinese-style plan to isolate Russian internet PRO Members Public
What happened Russian lawmakers have started working on the Kremlin’s long held dream of an isolated internet along the lines of the system used in China. The official reason for this is fear that during a conflict with the U.S., servers allowing internet access in Russia 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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