THE BELL WEEKLY: The Hidden Costs of War for Russians PRO Members Public
The main economic story of last year in Russia was the authorities' failure to curb rampant inflation. Even taking interest rates to their highest level for more than two decades could not slow the pace of price rises — everything from food and services to vehicles and housing became more
Russia’s oil sector reels from US sanctions PRO 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. This week we look at the impact of tough new U.S. sanctions on Russia’s oil sector. We also analyse the state of Russian agriculture
THE BELL WEEKLY: Russia’s patience with YouTube running out PRO Members Public
Hello! Welcome to our final weekly newsletter of the year! This week we look at how Russia is moving closer to blocking YouTube, the country’s most popular video site. Putin weighs in on YouTube slowdown debate After the invasion of Ukraine, many Russians turned to YouTube as their primary
The Russian economy in 9 graphs PRO 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. As the year draws to a close, we take a step back to assess the state of the Russian economy in 9 different graphs. We also
Putin and Belousov warn NATO: Russia is preparing for war PRO Members Public
Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Andrei Belousov delivered their end-of-year report to a giant defense ministry conference on Monday, hailing the state of affairs at the front and in the rear. They talked about the latest successes in the Ukraine invasion, the increase in military spending and Russia’s preparations
‘Silent’ tech layoffs despite massive labour shortages PRO Members Public
As the year comes to an end, Russian companies are laying off IT staff. Back in 2022, the government and employers were bending over backwards to keep them in the country, offering exemption from military service, preferential mortgages and pay rises. But two-decade-high interest rates are taking a toll: despite
Russian “foreign agents” to lose property and asset income PRO Members Public
Russia’s authorities continue to crack down on opposition figures and journalists they have designated “foreign agents.” In the latest set of measures, they will be barred from earning income on their Russian assets, with proposed bans on collecting money from the sale or rental of property, through dividends or
THE BELL WEEKLY: Russia targets foreign agents’ income, again PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our main story looks at new measures to bar more income streams for “foreign agents.” We also look at a wave of under-the-radar IT layoffs and Russia saying it is preparing for a direct conflict with NATO. Russian “foreign agents” to lose property and asset income Russia’
Tough choices for Russia’s Central Bank PRO 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. This week our top story is about the Central Bank’s upcoming decision on whether to raise interest rates and risk the ire of government and
Ruble stabilizes after latest sanctions slump PRO Members Public
The ruble has recovered from a sudden devaluation last month, which was largely tied to liquidity problems in the wake of US sanctions against dozens of Russian banks — chiefly Gazprombank. The value of the currency against both the dollar and the yuan, on various measures, had reached its worst level
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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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