THE BELL WEEKLY: Islamist links to antisemitic airport riot? Members Public

Hello! This week The Bell looks at the possible links between the riot at Dagestan’s airport and a radical Islamist movement. We also highlight the latest twists in the saga of the sanctioned Alfa Group founders, and how Russia’s stats body is returning to its favourite pandemic-era habit:

The Bell The Bell
Russia, Explained

Russia’s delicate balancing act on inflation Members Public

Hello! Welcome to your weekly guide to the Russian economy — brought to you by The Bell. Our top story this time is a look at why state-owned companies have requested subsidized loans, and why this poses a major inflationary risk. We also look at U.S. sanctions targeting conglomerate Sistema

Peter Mironenko Peter Mironenko
Inside the Russian Economy

Central Bank tips economy towards recession to stem inflation Members Public

The central bank has reacted aggressively to surging inflation, the falling ruble and the imminent increase in government spending. It hiked the base rate on Friday by two full percentage points, from 13% to 15%, and signalled there was little likelihood of rates coming back down again before spring or

Peter Mironenko Peter Mironenko
Economy

Putin blames the West after anti-Israel riot shocks Moscow Members Public

In Russia’s North Caucasus, the weekend brought a series of antisemitic protests, culminating in a mass riot in Makhachkala, the capital of the predominantly Muslim republic of Dagestan. Angry crowds of protestors stormed the city’s airport, breaking through to the runway in a bid to get to passengers

Peter Mironenko Peter Mironenko
Politics

THE BELL WEEKLY: Putin blames the West after anti-Israel riot Members Public

Hello! This week our top story is Russia’s first antisemitic riot in decades. We also analyze the central bank’s aggressive interest rate hike and what it means for Russia’s economic outlook. Putin blames the West after anti-Israel riot shocks Moscow In Russia’s North Caucasus, the weekend

Peter Mironenko Peter Mironenko
Russia, Explained

Does the price cap on Russian oil actually work? Members Public

Hello! This is your weekly guide to the Russian economy — brought to you by The Bell. We are focusing on the G7 price cap on Russian oil and looking at some of the arguments about whether it works — or not.  Gauging the economic pain inflicted on Russia by the oil

Denis Kasyanchuk Denis Kasyanchuk
Inside the Russian Economy

Putin resurrects another Soviet tradition Members Public

Last week, Vladimir Putin called for the return of sporting parades on Moscow’s Red Square. This long-forgotten Soviet ritual, beloved of the Stalin era, represents the latest staging point on Russia’s rose-tinted march into its Soviet past. * The first such sporting parades, which involved the so-called “Vsevobuchs” (men

Peter Mironenko Peter Mironenko
Politics

Another US journalist arrested Members Public

Last week, Russian police arrested journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, editor of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Tatar-Bashkir service. Kurmasheva, who holds Russian and American citizenship, is accused of failing to register as a “foreign agent.” This is the first criminal case in Russia under laws that require anybody who “purposefully”

Peter Mironenko Peter Mironenko
Politics

Pro-Kremlin media’s talking points on the conflict in the Middle East Members Public

After the outbreak of fighting between Israel and Hamas militants, Russian propagandists have scrambled to push the focus away from events in Ukraine and onto the situation in the Middle East. The Kremlin’s loyalists on TV and in print quickly started talking up the West’s role in the

Peter Mironenko Peter Mironenko
Politics

THE BELL WEEKLY: Russian propaganda on the Middle-East conflict Members Public

Hello! This week we highlight the main Russian propaganda talking points on the Israel-Hamas conflict. We also cover how the arrest of a US-Russian reporter marks yet another escalation in Russia’s campaign against independent journalism, and why Putin wants to bring back sporting parades beloved by Josef Stalin. Pro-Kremlin

Peter Mironenko Peter Mironenko
Russia, Explained
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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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