The Putin-linked scion behind Russia’s ‘YouTube killer’ Paid Members Public
Russian authorities have long sought a viable domestic alternative to YouTube in their fight to neutralize the site’s rising and stubborn popularity. In Russia, YouTube is home to interviews and reports by independent journalists, and opposition politicians rack up hundreds of thousands of views for their videos. Unlike many
THE BELL WEEKLY: The Putin-linked scion behind Russia’s ‘YouTube killer’ Paid Members Public
Hello! This week our main story looks inside the VKontakte social network at how a Russian nepo baby with family connections to Putin is trying to turn “Russia’s Facebook” into a viable home-grown alternative to YouTube. We also analyze the latest annual Valdai meeting, and ask one of Russia’
Russia’s big sanctions workaround Paid Members Public
Hello! This is your weekly guide to the Russian economy — brought to you by The Bell. Our main story is an analysis of customs data that reveals how Russia is getting around Western sanctions by importing restricted goods via third countries. We also look at why, contrary to expectations, there’
Azerbaijan detains Troika financier who became Karabakh separatist leader Paid Members Public
One of the best-known Russian financiers of the 2000s was among the victims of the crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh — the billionaire founder of Troika Dialog, Ruben Vardanyan. The former businessman, who sold his Russian assets in the early 2010s to invest in his native Armenia, was for a brief period the
Jailed billionaire demands $14 billion from Russian state companies Paid Members Public
Despite serving a 19-year jail term, Russian billionaire Ziyavudin Magomedov showed last week that he is willing and able to strike against state companies from a prison cell, lodging a case with London’s High Court demanding $14 billion in compensation for assets seized from him following his arrest in
The mystery of Ramzan Kadyrov’s flailing health Paid Members Public
Russia’s top domestic political story last month was the mystery swirling around Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov after it emerged that the 46-year-old feudal warlord, a key figure in the Putin system, has serious health problems. In mid-September, Chechen opposition Telegram channels even reported his death. In a bid to
THE BELL WEEKLY: Ramzan Kadyrov’s mystery illness Paid Members Public
Hello! This week we look at yet another round of rumors over the deteriorating health of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and assess his standing with the Kremlin following the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin. We also unpick what a record court case in London brought by a jailed Russian billionaire could
Russia’s wartime budget Paid Members Public
Hello! This is Alexandra Prokopenko with your weekly guide to the Russian economy — brought to you by The Bell. Today's top story is an analysis of Russia’s 2024-2026 budget, which foresees a record level of military spending. We also look at a proposal to make the Russian
