Pro-Ukraine Russian nationalists are becoming a problem for the Kremlin PRO Members Public
Last week’s top story was an attack on the Belgorod region by anti-Kremlin Russian fighters backed by Ukraine. Russia’s Armed Forces spent a day-and-a-half repelling the raids in what was the most serious incursion into Russian territory since the war began. Unlike similar raids, this one could not
THE BELL WEEKLY: Border troubles PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is the armed incursion in the Belgorod region by anti-Kremlin Russian nationalist fighters. We then turn to Erdogan’s victory in the Turkish presidential election over the weekend and discuss what implications it might have for Russia. Finally, we look at the recent drop
Could Russia lose one of its last ties to the global financial system? 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 Russia’s possible blacklisting by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which could mean the severing of one of its last ties to the global financial
'What civil society can do is limited': Timur Kuran on Turkey’s Elections and Lessons for Russia PRO Members Public
The debate over the trustworthiness of opinion polls in authoritarian countries like Russia has intensified following the invasion of Ukraine. Opinion polls, including those conducted by the Levada Center — an independent organization labeled a “foreign agent” by the Russian authorities — indicate approval for the war remains strong even over a
Russia bans Greenpeace PRO Members Public
Russia’s prosecutor general designated Greenpeace as an “undesirable” organization Friday, which effectively bans its members from working in Russia. According to the authorities, Greenpeace “poses a threat to the foundations of constitutional order and security” in the country, and, since the start of the war, it has “engaged in
State propaganda casts capture of Bakhmut as a big win for Russia PRO Members Public
Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin and Russia’s Defense Ministry announced over the weekend that they had taken complete control of eastern Ukraine’s Bakhmut after a grinding nine-month battle for the city. The Ukrainian authorities denied the claims and said that fighting in Bakhmut continued. That did not stop
Putin hands an ancient icon over to the Russian Orthodox Church PRO Members Public
President Vladimir Putin responded to “numerous requests from Orthodox worshippers” and donated the famous “Trinity” icon to the Russian Orthodox Church last week. The 15th-century piece is believed to be the work of religious artist Andrei Rublev. Many artists and experts warned against the handover, claiming that the church is
THE BELL WEEKLY: Icon Giveaway PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is President Vladimir Putin’s decision to return a historic religious icon to the Russian Orthodox Church. Then we turn to how Russian propagandists have tried to portray the capture of Bakhmut as a significant military victory for the country’s Armed Forces. And,
The Global South holds the keys to successful Western sanctions on 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 the G7 Summit taking place in Japan on Friday and Saturday, where the war in Ukraine and the role of the Global South in sanctions will
Russia’s Central Bank assesses the impact of sanctions on the economy PRO Members Public
The Central Bank issued a new macroeconomic forecast, for the first time taking full account of the consequences of the war in Ukraine. The regulator sees no risk of catastrophe in the coming two years, but at the same time doesn’t see reason for optimism. * The Central Bank’s
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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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