Why did the Russian ruble plunge? 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 this week is about Russia’s currency crisis that saw the ruble slump 10% in two days. We also look at why Russia’
Writing off debts: Russia’s new army recruitment strategy Paid Members Public
Vladimir Putin has signed a new law to write off the loans of fresh recruits to the war. This latest preferential credit scheme is clearly intended to lure as many people as possible to the front line. * According to the newly-signed law, military personnel who sign up after Dec. 1,
New U.S. sanctions push the ruble to its lowest since spring 2022 Paid Members Public
The United States has imposed the most wide-reaching range of banking sanctions on Russia since spring 2022 (read more here), hitting leading state institution Gazprombank, which had remained connected to SWIFT and conducted settlements in euros. The fallout of the potential disruption on Russia’s energy trade pushed the ruble
Putin’s missile escalation Paid Members Public
The war in Ukraine ratched up dramatically this week, with tensions running at arguably their highest level in the near three-year conflict. Kyiv, with the support of its Western allies, used US-supplied ATACMS and British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles against targets inside Russian territory for the first time. Russia responded with
THE BELL WEEKLY: How Putin fell in love with hypersonic missiles Paid Members Public
Hello! This week we look into Russia’s hypersonic missile development program, after Russia fired one on Ukraine, the first time a device of its type has been used in combat. We also analyze the latest fall in the value of the ruble and how Russia plans to write off
Nabiullina defends high interest rates Paid 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. Our top story this week is a look at Central Bank head Elvira Nabiullin’s defense of a tight monetary policy in the face of sustained
Russia’s authorities squeeze exiled critics’ income Paid Members Public
The authorities are looking to strip income for Russians who criticize the Ukraine invasion from abroad. For celebrities and artists, that means no more royalty payments, while for others it could mean halting any income they get from renting out property. * Many prominent Russian artists who left the country after
Russia’s reaction to the prospect of ATACMS strikes Paid Members Public
The news that the United States will allow Ukraine to use its missiles to hit targets inside Russian territory was an unpleasant surprise for Russia’s leaders on Sunday evening. It is by no means certain that it will hand Ukrainian forces a significant advantage on the battlefield, but Vladimir
