Russia’s brands Putin-backed WWF a “foreign agent” Paid Members Public
A notable addition last week to Russia’s “foreign agent” list was the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF). Oddly, this charity was funded by VTB, one of Russia’s biggest state-owned banks, for many years. And Putin has publicly lauded its work. However, in recent years the fund has faced
Russia casts long shadow over Georgia’s political crisis Paid Members Public
A major hub for Russian emigration since the war in Ukraine broke out — Georgia — finds itself at the center of a political crisis due to proposed legislation on “foreign agents.” The bill at the center of the row was endorsed by Georgia’s ruling party, which is accused by many
Russian opposition splits over support for lifting sanctions on oligarchs Paid Members Public
Lobbying by prominent billionaires Mikhail Fridman and Pyotr Aven in an attempt to have European sanctions on them lifted caused a bitter row last week. The tycoons, who are co-owners of one of Russia’s biggest investment outfits, Alfa Group, tried to recruit the leaders of Russia’s opposition in
Oligarchs & the opposition Paid Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is about a group of Russian tycoons who have been recruiting opposition leaders in a bid to help get Western sanctions lifted. We also look at a political crisis in Georgia and why the WWF was designated a “foreign agent” despite historical support from
Growing optimism for Russia’s economic prospects Paid Members Public
Hello! This is Alexandra Prokopenko with your weekly guide to the Russian economy — brought to you by The Bell. In today’s newsletter, we focus on increasing short-term optimism over Russia’s economy and how the issue of personal sanctions on Russian businessmen is splitting the opposition — not the elite
Drones, raid & assassination Paid Members Public
Hello! This week we focus on one story: an unusually high number of apparent Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory — and what they might mean. What do Ukrainian drone attacks and cross-border raids and an ‘assassination attempt’ have in common? At least four different Russian regions, including Moscow Region, were attacked
Is Russia firing up the money printing press? Paid Members Public
Hello! This is Alexandra Prokopenko with your weekly guide to the Russian economy — brought to you by The Bell. In today’s newsletter, we’ll look in depth at whether Russia really is printing money to cover its growing budget deficit. Inflation risks as Russia grapples with budget deficit Russia
Prigozhin throws down another gauntlet to Shoigu and the General Staff Paid Members Public
Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner Group, Russia’s main private paramilitary force, once again attacked the army’s General Staff and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. A new round of conflict broke out after Russia’s operations in Ukraine were placed under the command of Chief of the General Staff
