Russia’s IT exodus and the Kremlin’s futile efforts to reverse it PRO Members Public
The outflow of IT professionals from Russia continues 11 months after the invasion of Ukraine. About 100,000 of them left last year — about 10% of the country’s total. So far, efforts by the authorities to lure them back have been largely unsuccessful. * In late December, the Ministry of
IT exodus PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is on the ongoing flood of IT professionals leaving Russia and some unsuccessful attempts to tempt them back. We also look at the very public installation of air defense systems in Moscow and the dropping price of Russian oil. Russia’s IT exodus and
Your guide to the Russian economy PRO Members Public
Dear reader, Welcome to a new newsletter from The Bell. For now, we are trying this as an experiment — but we are hoping to make it a permanent feature. You can subscribe to the newsletter here. And please let us know your feedback here! This letter is an in-depth analysis
Russia’s Defense Ministry praises Wagner Group mercenaries PRO Members Public
Russia’s Defense Ministry made a rare public acknowledgement Friday of the success of mercenary group Wagner in the war in Ukraine. The ministry said that Wagner soldiers successfully captured the small town of Soledar in the Donetsk Region. This recognition comes amid a long-running conflict between the Armed Forces
Russia considers confiscating real estate of anti-war emigres PRO Members Public
Russian officials last year regularly proposed punishments for anyone who had left the country and continued to criticize the regime from abroad. Last week, however, this question was raised once again — and more seriously. The authorities made it clear they are working on something concrete that can be used against
Falling oil prices threaten to blow a $15bln hole in Russia’s finances PRO Members Public
A little over a month since they were imposed, Europe’s embargo on Russian oil and a price cap imposed by the G7 are having an impact. The price of Russian benchmark Urals crude plummeted in December and at a 40% discount to the global standard, Brent. That discrepancy threatens
$15bln hole PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is about how Europe’s embargo on Russian oil and the G7’s price cap are causing financial problems for the Kremlin. We also look at some of the measures proposed by Russian officials who want to punish anti-war emigres and why the Russian
Cost of war PRO Members Public
Hello! We’ve never had to write a review of the year quite like this one before. For Russia, 2022 was dominated by the aggressive war unleashed by its leaders — a war that will change the country forever. In our first newsletter of 2023, we look back at how Russians
The Kremlin sends a signal – Putin is directly involved with the war like never before PRO Members Public
Last week, Vladimir Putin visited the coordinating headquarters for Russia’s forces in Ukraine and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu inspected the deployment of troops in southern Russia. These unexpected events, which were not previously announced, took place against the backdrop of increased Russian missile strikes on Ukraine and warnings from
Putin’s pet liberal enters the power struggle at “Russia’s Google” PRO Members Public
Alexei Kudrin, a former finance minister who then took charge of the state Audit Chamber, was regarded as the biggest liberal in Vladimir Putin’s inner circle. Now he has officially started working at Yandex, which is known in the West as “Russia’s Google.” However, a power struggle is
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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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