The plot to extort the biggest bribe in Russian history Paid Members Public
Russian investigators are currently probing a case related to the biggest attempted bribe in recorded Russian history. FSB officers and officials from the Investigative Committee are said to have fabricated a murder case then tried to use it to extort 15 billion rubles ($200 million) from the alleged suspects, the
Authorities prepare to stop Boris Nadezhdin running for president Paid Members Public
On Feb. 7, the Central Electoral Commission will rule on whether to allow Boris Nadezhdin, the only anti-war candidate in the mix, to run in March’s presidential election. Their decision is already becoming clear as the body claimed to have found significant flaws in the signatures backing Nadezhdin’s
Yandex gets a new set of owners Paid Members Public
The two-year saga surrounding the sale of Yandex’s Russian assets is nearing its end. Russia’s leading internet company announced Monday that it is dividing its business in two. Founder Arkady Volozh, who lives in Israel and has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, will keep hold of a
THE BELL WEEKLY: Yandex’s $5-billion break-up Paid Members Public
Hello. This week we cover Yandex’s deal to spin-off its Russian assets — and its new, more loyal owners. We also look at how the Kremlin is preparing to ban Boris Nadezhdin from running in the presidential election and unpack a major bribery scandal. Yandex gets a new set of
Russia’s mortgage bubble 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 is on Central Bank concerns about a mortgage bubble caused by state subsidized lending, and we also look at the €50 billion aid
Record sentence for woman who killed pro-Russian blogger Paid Members Public
A Russian court found Darya Trepova, 26, guilty of terrorism over the murder of pro-Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky. He was killed in a bomb blast in a St. Petersburg cafe last April. Trepova was sentenced to an unprecedented 27 years in prison — the longest jail sentence for a woman
Russian anti-war performers under pressure abroad Paid Members Public
Many Russian musicians and performers have left the country since the start of the invasion. While openly criticizing the war, some have managed to continue earning a living by playing venues in the United States, Europe and Asia. However, since the start of this year, some have seen travel bans
Russian lawmakers move to confiscate property of anti-war campaigners Paid Members Public
Russia’s parliament last week backed measures that would allow the confiscation of property and assets from political activists, independent journalists and opponents of the war. The potential new penalties do not go as far as the Soviet practice of stripping convicted dissidents of all their items and property. However,
