THE BELL WEEKLY: Back to the Future – Anatoly Chubais’s new think tank PRO Members Public
Hello. This week we look at Anatoly Chubais opening a Russia studies institute in exile, and the bitter debate over his legacy at home. We also cover the ongoing fallout from last year’s scandalous “Almost Naked” party and a new war exhibition in Moscow. 1990s reform architect Chubais sets
Assessing Mishustin’s first four years 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 a look at Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin’s record in government ahead of a likely reshuffle. We also look at
A new wave of repression on media outlets — and their readers PRO Members Public
As was widely expected, Russia’s security forces have started cracking down on the Kremlin’s perceived opponents and enemies with renewed vigor following the presidential election. In the span of just a few days, three journalists from well-known Russian and international media outlets — Forbes Russia, Reuters and the Associated
Is the West’s oil price cap working? PRO Members Public
In the 18 months since it was introduced, the oil price cap has become one of the more controversial Western sanctions slapped on Russia since it invaded Ukraine. Moscow and its oil clients have found it easy to circumvent the measures and Russia’s Urals blend of crude oil has
Russia’s VK could be about to get a new CEO PRO Members Public
Vladimir Putin’s inauguration — the official start of his new presidential term — is set for May 7. Talk is swirling that a possible government reshuffle could soon follow. It is not just ministries that are preparing for a leadership change, state-run companies are as well. One of the most widely
THE BELL WEEKLY: A nepo-baby shuffle at VK PRO Members Public
Hello! This week we report on a possible shake-up at one of Russia’s most important tech companies. We also assess the impact of the West’s oil price cap with two of its authors and highlight the latest crackdown on independent journalists, media outlets and their readers. Russia’s
The problem of Russia’s off-the-books oil tankers 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 our top story is a look at Russia’s shadow oil tanker fleet and what the West could do about it. We also look
Russian schoolchildren forced to commemorate ‘genocide of the Soviet people’ PRO Members Public
In the latest installation of forced propaganda in Russian schools, students across the country were forced to kneel en masse in front of a five-pointed star — an army symbol — to mark the “genocide of the Soviet people.” It follows an intensification of war-time messaging in the Russian curriculum following the
Russia tries to downplay importance of US aid for Ukraine PRO Members Public
On state TV over the weekend, Russian propagandists tried to minimize the importance of the US House of Representatives approving $61 billion of military aid to Ukraine after months of delay. The key message on Russian airwaves was that most of this money would remain in the States, and would
Team Navalny film about 1990s oligarchs divides Russia’s opposition PRO Members Public
The 1990s were a turbulent period following the collapse of the Soviet Union — and 30 years later it remains the most controversial era in modern Russian history. The rapid democratization of society and the switch from a planned to a market economy was accompanied by poverty, rampant crime and the
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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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