Russia’s first major tax overhaul in 20 years 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. Our top story this week is analysis of big changes to the tax system. We also look at the possibility of sanctions on Russian insurer Ingosstrakh.
Russia moves towards recognising the Taliban Paid Members Public
Russia is planning to recognise the Taliban as the lawful government of Afghanistan and remove it from the list of “banned” organizations. This will put an end to the absurd situation where Taliban representatives are officially received in the Kremlin, while journalists can be jailed for mentioning them in their
Europe’s last land border closes to Russian tourists Paid Members Public
Norway has announced that it is closing its land border with Russia, the last remaining land crossing to Europe that was open to Russian tourists. During the 2022 mobilization, this was a popular way for Russians who did not want to be forced into the war to leave the country.
The Great Repatriation: Russian millionaires bring their cash back to the Motherland Paid Members Public
After trying to send their money overseas in the immediate aftermath of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, wealthy Russians are now bringing their millions back home, new data shows. The number of high net worth individuals jumped back above pre-war levels last year, after falling in 2022. Some 22,000
THE BELL WEEKLY: Rich Russians are bringing their money back home Paid Members Public
Hello! This week we cover Russian millionaires repatriating their cash from abroad, despite the threat of nationalization and higher taxes. We also cover another border closure for Russian tourists and Moscow moving to recognise the Taliban government in Afghanistan. The Great Repatriation: Russian millionaires bring their cash back to the
Secondary sanctions & Russia’s falling imports Paid Members Public
Hello! Welcome to your weekly guide to the Russian economy — written by Denis Kasyanchuk and brought to you by The Bell. This week our top story is an analysis of how U.S. secondary sanctions introduced last year have contributed to a significant fall in Russian imports. We also look
Medvedev threatens reprisals against Yandex bosses over GPT chatbot Paid Members Public
Former president Dmitry Medvedev, the most prominent hawk among senior Russian officials, criticized Yandex’s efforts to create an artificial neural network. Medvedev was unhappy with the efforts of the company, sometimes dubbed “Russia’s Google”, because its AI chatbot refused to answer questions about Ukraine. * Medvedev, now deputy chair
Pro-military bloggers clash with Chechen authorities over abuse case Paid Members Public
A young woman who fled her relatives in Chechnya after facing abuse has garnered unexpected support from Russian Z-bloggers. Facing the possibility of being forcibly sent back to the conservative Muslim region and likely harsh repercussions, pro-military voices came out in her support, criticizing the Caucasus republic as “medieval.” It
