THE BELL WEEKLY: Prigozhin’s legacy Paid Members Public
Hello! This week we explore the fallout from Yevgeny Prigozhin’s dramatic death last Wednesday. In this newsletter, we’ll explore how a restaraunt owner from St. Petersburg became one of the most powerful businessmen in Russia, and what will happen to his businesses now he’s gone. Who will
Russia’s economy is overheating Paid Members Public
As summer draws to a close, we decided to take a look at some of the biggest issues facing the Russian economy. Despite wartime pressures, the economy has not collapsed (it has even given President Vladimir Putin a few chances to gloat). But there are also obvious problems. First and
A Broker Popular with Russian Investors Is Accused of Dodging Sanctions Paid Members Public
On Aug. 15, activist short sellers from Hindenburg Research accused Freedom Holdings, a broker popular with Russian investors, of falsifying reports and circumventing sanctions. Hindenburg’s sources said that Freedom’s clients brought suitcases stuffed with cash, and its employees broke the law to launder millions of dollars of dirty
Russia Loses its First-Ever Lunar Station Paid Members Public
Russia attempted to launch a lunar station for the first time since the Soviet era. The Luna-25 mission was initially planned for the late 90s. But because of a combination of the failure of other space programs, a lack of funding, sanctions, and the collapse of international cooperation in space,
Why is the exchange rate so important to Russians and to the Kremlin Paid Members Public
This summer, Russia is facing its latest currency crisis. On Aug. 11, the dollar broke through the benchmark 100-ruble mark, while the euro was trading at 110 rubles. Its tumbling value has become a hot topic in the Russian media in recent weeks. Ordinarily, foreign exchange rates shouldn’t be
THE BELL WEEKLY: More Than Just an Exchange Rate Paid Members Public
Hello! This week, in our main story we explain why Russians take the ruble exchange rate so personally that its devaluation is a serious political problem for the Kremlin. Then we turn to a failed launch of a Russian lunar station. Finaly, we look at how one of the most
The ruble is a prisoner of Russian politics Paid Members Public
Hello! This is your weekly guide to the Russian economy — brought to you by The Bell. Our main story is about how the Russian ruble this week slumped below 100 to the U.S. dollar, exposing an unusual level of indecision and lack of agreement among officials. Ironically, this all
Tax leaks expose the huge salaries of state company bosses Paid Members Public
A leak of Russian tax data for 2020 enabled researchers to work out the incomes of the directors of two leading state companies – Rosneft boss Igor Sechin, and the head of one of Russia’s biggest banks, VTB’s Andrei Kostin. Both received salaries huge enough to cover the annual
