Are Russia’s war emigrants heading home? PRO Members Public
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, hundreds of thousands of Russians left the country. Most of them were highly-skilled personnel who could work remotely or find jobs abroad. The Russian authorities are sticking to their story that most of those who were “scared off” at the start have since returned.
Russians’ wellbeing levels surge in face of war, sanctions and repression PRO Members Public
Despite being hit with unprecedented Western sanctions, the war with Ukraine has been accompanied by a noticeable increase in the well-being of Russians. A new study has revealed the extent of the domestic feel-good factor, with economists at the Bank of Finland Institute for Emerging Economics (BOFIT) finding the level
THE BELL WEEKLY: Russians' happiness hits decade-high PRO Members Public
Hello! This week we look at why Russians are happier than at any point in the last decade, and delve into a new study suggesting those who fled after the invasion are not rushing back to Russia, despite claims by the Kremlin and even Western media outlets. Russians’ wellbeing levels
Russia’s odd ceasefire demands PRO 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 week we look in detail at Moscow’s strange demands to sign up to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in the Black Sea. We also
Russia no longer pushing Ukrainian link to Moscow concert hall massacre PRO Members Public
Russian authorities appear to have quietly lost interest in pushing the idea that Ukraine was somehow connected to the worst terrorist attack in Russia of the last two decades. On the first anniversary of the Crocus City Hall massacre, officials barely mentioned the alleged Ukrainian link — something which they never
Russia jails dissident once targeted by Putin at KGB for 16 years PRO Members Public
A court in St. Petersburg has sentenced Alexander Skobov, a 66-year-old Soviet dissident and activist, to 16 years in jail on charges of justifying terrorism and joining a terrorist group. Skovov was first arrested more than four decades ago and Vladimir Putin was among the KGB officers who worked on
VK posts huge loss, eyes massive cash injection PRO Members Public
Tech giant VK, which operates the country’s largest social media site and is often dubbed “Russia’s Facebook”, posted a staggering set of results for 2024: a billion-dollar loss and overall outstanding debt of more than $2 billion. Now the firm, which the Kremlin is backing heavily to create
THE BELL WEEKLY: Billion-dollar loss for Russia's Facebook PRO Members Public
Hello! Our main story this week is how the state is going to bail out VK after a staggering loss and mounting debt pile. We also cover the jailing of a Soviet-era dissident, once targeted by Vladimir Putin at the KGB, and highlight how the authorities are no longer trying
Continuing war and continuing nationalizations PRO 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 week we look at two meetings attended by Putin and what signals he gave about an end to the fighting in Ukraine, and Russia’s
Does Russia really face a wave of bankruptcies PRO Members Public
Amid the central bank’s aggressive interest rate hikes last year – taking the key rate to a two-decade high of 21% – the industrial lobby, joined by sympathetic economists, has been increasingly warning of a wave of bankruptcies as over-exposed industries struggle to service their debts. We took a look at
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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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