CIAN bans ‘Slavs only’ ads for rental property PRO Members Public
Russia’s largest online real estate service, CIAN, announced last week that it was banning discriminatory listings — a month after its successful U.S. initial public offering (IPO). This means an end to the widespread practice of advertising property “for Slavs only”. * CIAN’s new policy is that: “advertising text
Ex-U.S. citizen turned Russia-cheerleader arrested for fraud PRO Members Public
The co-owner of one of Rive Gauche, one of Russia’s biggest cosmetics chains, was arrested Wednesday in St. Petersburg. August Meyer — the co-owner of now defunct online retail giant Yulmart — was born in San Diego and moved to Russia more than 20 years ago. He has since renounced his
Putin-Biden talks PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is talks between Putin and Biden and whether there is a real risk of Russia launching an invasion of Ukraine. We also look at why Russia’s biggest real estate listings service decided to ban xenophobic adverts, and the arrest of U.S.-born
Russia takes direct control of top social media networks PRO Members Public
Billionaire Alisher Usmanov announced Thursday the sale of his stake in internet holding company VK, which controls two major Russian social networks: Vkontakte and Odnoklassniki. The stake will pass to state-owned bank Gazprombank and insurance company Sogaz, which is controlled by Putin ally Yuri Kovalchuk and his family. The new
Jailed YouTube-blogger alleges threats against family PRO Members Public
Imprisoned blogger Yury Khovansky claimed last Monday that investigators were threatening his family in an effort to get him to give false testimony. “I’m scared and I don’t know what to do,” Khovansky wrote in an open letter that detailed the pressure he has faced since being arrested
Russia’s Black Friday battle against fakes PRO Members Public
The Black Friday sales in Russia saw another huge increase in online shopping — as well as more fraud. Scams included fake sites mimicking popular online marketplaces, and even sellers who tried to trick their own customers with fake discounts. * One of the most popular scams targeting Russian consumers this Black
November to be worst month of 2021 for Russian markets PRO Members Public
November isn’t over yet, but it’s already clear it will be the worst month of the year on the Russian markets. With the emergence of the Omicron coronavirus strain last week causing global markets to nosedive, some fear these losses are only the start. * In many ways, the
Russian prisons boss fired amid evidence of torture PRO Members Public
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday fired Alexander Kalashnikov from his position as head of the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN). In the absence of any official explanation, experts linked the dismissal to recent, high-profile allegations of torture in Russian prisons, and infighting within the security services. Kalashnikov’s replacement was
State-owned tech firm Rusnano faces possible default PRO Members Public
Set-up to nurture innovation and help diversify the Russian economy, state-owned Rusnano was this week facing the possibility of a default. Rusnano managers were reportedly locked in debt restructure negotiations with investors after trading of the company’s bonds was suspended. The saga has led to questions about whether state-driven
State social media PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is about the sale of one of Russia’s biggest internet holdings — that includes popular social network Vkontakte — to two state-owned companies. We also look at a jailed YouTube blogger who alleges he was threatened by investigators, and the scams that plagued Black Friday
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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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