THE BELL WEEKLY: Russia’s response to the Kakhovka catastrophe PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is Russia’s muted response to the catastrophe that has followed the Kakhovka dam’s destruction. We then break down the first week of Ukraine’s counteroffensive. Finally, we speak with experts on the Kremlin’s silence toward drone attacks on Moscow and raids
Ukraine’s counteroffensive and economic scenarios for Russia PRO Members Public
Hello! This is Alexandra Prokopenko with your weekly guide to the Russian economy — brought to you by The Bell. This week we focus on Ukraine’s counteroffensive and what it could mean for the Russian economy. We also notica that Russian state spending is gradually slowing down. What could be
RSF and independent Russian journalists call on Big Tech to create “Engineers against Dictatorship” to prevent Russia’s online informational shutdown PRO Members Public
With the Russian presidential election coming in 2024, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) joins Russian independent media organisations and journalists in calling on Big Tech companies to establish a working group to prevent Russia's online informational shutdown. The initiative is supported by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov, journalist
The “Russian Davos” will debate “traditional values” and how to return Russians who fled abroad PRO Members Public
The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) — known as the “Russian Davos” — kicks off next week, the second time the event has been held since Moscow invaded Ukraine. This year, organizers have banned all Western press from covering the forum, while introducing a program devoted to discussions on “ethnic conservation”
Navalny’s birthday ignites fresh discord within Russia’s fragmented opposition PRO Members Public
Anti-war and anti-Putin protesters became further entangled in internal conflicts as they sought to mark Alexei Navalny’s birthday with rallies in his support. Navalny is currently serving an 11-year jail term for fraud and contempt of court, charges which human rights activists claim were politically motivated. However, calls for
The Kremlin keeps mum about recent attacks against the Belgorod region PRO Members Public
The little-known town of Shebekino — home to some 40,000 people and located near Russia’s southwestern border with Ukraine — made headlines last week following an armed incursion by anti-Kremlin Russian paramilitary groups. But the war had already come to this town some time ago. After Ukrainian forces fully regained
THE BELL WEEKLY: Belgorod left to fend PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is about recent attacks on Russia’s Belgorod region and the federal authorities’ reluctance to comment on the increasingly chaotic situation there. Then we turn to recent infighting among Russia’s opposition over protests in support of jailed activist Alexei Navalny. And finally, we
The Potemkin village at this year’s SPIEF PRO Members Public
Hello! This is Alexandra Prokopenko with your weekly guide to the Russian economy — brought to you by The Bell. This week we focus on the atmosphere of enforced optimism at this year’s St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. We also look at why the Central Bank believes the economy might
Why are the shares of stock market darling Magnit heading for junk? PRO Members Public
One of Russia’s top two retailers, Magnit, has always been one of the most popular stocks among investors in Russia. But this week, it was relegated from the top tier of the Moscow Exchange securities — entering in its third tier — after violating exchange rules. Investors suspect the company of
Erdogan won Turkey’s presidential election. What does this mean for the future of Russo-Turkish relations? PRO Members Public
It was close, but Turkey’s incumbent president Recep Erdogan secured 52% of the vote in the second round of presidential elections over the weekend. Moscow, which openly supported Erdogan, made no secret of its satisfaction with the outcome. We have written in detail about why the Kremlin supports Erdogan
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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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