Wildberries set for new Putin-approved shareholders Paid Members Public
A very strange deal is in the works involving Russia’s largest online marketplace, Wildberries. The company, which sees around 2.5 trillion rubles’ ($27.5 billion) worth of business a year, is set to merge with the Russ group, Russia’s leader in outdoor advertising. The merger has Putin’
THE BELL WEEKLY: A wild deal for Russia’s largest online retailer Paid Members Public
Hello! This week we look at a curious merger deal involving Russia’s largest online retailer, a coordinated terror attack in Dagestan and how Russia’s “alternative” Olympics has descended into a laughing stock. Wildberries set for new Putin-approved shareholders A very strange deal is in the works involving Russia’
Russian military spending to rise & rise Paid Members Public
Hello! Welcome to your weekly guide to the Russian economy — written by Alexandra Prokopenko and Alexander Kolyandr and brought to you by The Bell. Our top story this week is a look at why Russian military spending is set to rise as discussions begin over this year’s budget. We
Controversial ‘theater case’ moved into closed court hearings Paid Members Public
A Moscow military court has ordered a highly controversial court case in which a playwright and director are accused of justifying terrorism to proceed behind closed doors, shutting off public scrutiny. The move came a month into the trial and after prosecution witnesses had finished testifying. * Director Evgenia Berkovich and
The hidden reasons behind Russia’s mega tax rises Paid Members Public
Last month Russia’s finance ministry officially unveiled plans for the country’s biggest tax “reform” in over 20 years. The changes will mean higher taxes for business and Russia’s middle class. The Bell spoke to economist Oleg Buklemishev, a former head of the finance ministry’s department of
Hamster Kombat takes Telegram by storm, helping app’s crypto ambitions Paid Members Public
A Russian-developed mobile game linked to the world of cryptocurrency has proved a mega hit for Telegram, providing a big boost to the app’s founder, Pavel Durov, and his own blockchain project. Hamster Kombat, a simple game in which players pound their phone screens to generate virtual currency, has
THE BELL WEEKLY: The viral crypto hamster game with Russian roots Paid Members Public
Hello! This week we look at how a viral game featuring a Hamster CEO with Russian roots is providing a boon to Telegram’s crypto ambitions. We also speak to a former finance ministry official about the hidden reasons behind Russia’s tax rises, and explore why hearings in a
U.S. secondary sanctions menace Russian economy Paid Members Public
Hello! Welcome to your weekly guide to the Russian economy — written by Alexander Kolyandr and Alexandra Prokopenko and brought to you by The Bell. This time we look at a new round of U.S. sanctions that seek to “strangle” Moscow’s war machine, and why Russia’s steadily falling
