Moscow’s not calling PRO Members Public
Moscow is facing a communications collapse: mobile internet in the capital has been limping through serious outages all week, and whole districts in the city center are without connection. The authorities deny any involvement, but operators say that networks are being restricted on orders from above. Moscow has never experienced
Moscow goes offline PRO Members Public
Hello! Over the last week Russia’s internet blackouts have reached a new extreme, this week we look at how Moscow is coping with being thrown back to the online dark ages, and why the authorities are cutting the connection right now. Russian capital hit by week-long internet blackouts The
Russia pushes spending cuts despite oil boom 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. Even as hundreds of millions of unexpected dollars flow into Moscow’s coffers thanks to surging oil prices, Moscow is still pressing ahead with spending cuts.
The Bell Is Hiring: Social Media Manager PRO Members Public
The Bell is a leading independent media outlet based in Europe delivering in-depth coverage of Russia’s economy and politics. We're looking for a Social Media Manager to grow our social media presence and build a community around our English-language edition (en.thebell.io). To apply, email us
No money for metal PRO Members Public
The government has twice over the last month rejected calls for financial support from big businesses. First, leading developer Samolet was denied help, and now the entire ferrous metals sector is also being turned away. * First Deputy PM Denis Manturov this week held a meeting on whether to support the
Russia watches on as war engulfs Middle East PRO Members Public
Hello! The war in the Middle East has dominated Russian attention over the last nine days, even pushing its own invasion of Ukraine down the running order. This week we take a look at how the conflict is affecting Russia, and how Moscow is reacting to the fighting. Stranded tourists,
How Russia wins from war in the Middle East 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. Despite facing the possible loss of a geopolitical ally, Russia stands to win big from the Iran war on both the economic and political fronts. Oil,
Russia prepares Telegram endgame PRO Members Public
Russia’s authorities have shifted from slowing Telegram to shutting it down completely. At the same time they have launched a criminal case against founder Pavel Durov on allegations of aiding terrorism. Two sources on the telecoms market told The Bell that Russia’s authorities are preparing to shut down
Can Telegram challenge the Putin regime? PRO Members Public
Hello! As Russia prepares to initiate a full block on Telegram, the country’s most important messenger and social media platform, The Bell goes inside the blitz campaign that sealed its fate, and why skirting the restrictions is far from a given. Telegram vs. the Kremlin: Round Two Telegram’s
Russia is already cutting its 2026 budget 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. Barely two months into 2026, the Russian government has already been forced to start talking about spending cuts, as reality starts to bite for its overly
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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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