Political turmoil in Guinea hits aluminum giant Rusal PRO Members Public
A coup d’etat in Guinea this week rocked international aluminum markets and sent prices for the metal shooting to a 10-year high on the London Stock Exchange. The overthrow of President Alpha Condé is a major headache for Russian aluminum giant Rusal, which owns Guinea’s large Friguia alumina
Rusal's Guinea woes PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is about how a coup in one of the world’s poorest countries caused a major financial headache for Russian aluminum producer Rusal. We also look in depth at political party New People, which is tipped to do surprisingly well in next weekend’s
Comedian banned for life from Russia after joke PRO Members Public
When Russia first started to brand media outlets ‘foreign agents’ and ‘undesirable organizations’, the joke was that we would soon see ‘undesirable’ individuals’. Sadly, it wasn’t long before the joke became reality. The Russian Interior Ministry designated stand-up Belarusian comedian Idrak Mirzalizade ‘undesirable’ Monday and said he was barred
Hackers, state propagandists target The Bell PRO Members Public
Our very own The Bell fell victim to an attack this week: first from hackers, then state propagandists. Russia’s leading cyber-security experts are investigating the cyber-intrusion on our website and we’ll share the results as soon as possible. * Subscribers to The Bell’s daily Russian-language newsletter received an
Hate group Male State takes on Siberian sushi company PRO Members Public
Siberian sushi-delivery restaurant chain Yobidoyobi took down an advertisement with a black person this week after racist comments and threats from far-right hate group Male State — another example of Russian companies reversing progressive policies following pressure from activists. Yobidoyobi also issued a public apology. * Yobidoyobi began receiving a flurry of
Undesirable comedian PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is about a comedian barred from Russia for life because of a joke. We also look at a hacker attack that targeted The Bell and briefly made us a top news story, and the right-wing hate group that pressured a sushi delivery company into
Russia CO2 reduction strategy plans rising emissions PRO Members Public
The Russian government is discussing a new strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It has yet to be made official, but journalists from several Russian publications including The Bell obtained a draft copy this week. The baseline scenario is that emissions will drop 25 percent through 2050. However, this reduction
‘Russia’s Amazon’ battles Visa and Mastercard PRO Members Public
Russia’s biggest online retailer Wildberries became embroiled last week in a public fight with international payment giants Visa and Mastercard after an announcement that customers will escape commission fees if they use Russian payment services. Visa and Mastercard believe Wildberries’ decision is a violation of consumer rights. * Wildberries announced
Putin’s populist pre-election handout to pensioners & soldiers PRO Members Public
Russian President Vladimir Putin last weekend said the government would make one-off financial payments to pensioners and soldiers. This comes less than a month before parliamentary elections — and as the authorities look to give people reasons to vote for the ruling United Russia party. * Putin unveiled the one-off 15,000
Pre-election populism PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is President Vladimir Putin’s promise of a one-off payment to soldiers and pensioners to boost support for the ruling United Russia party at upcoming elections. We also look at a spat between Wildberries — the ‘Russian Amazon’ — and payment systems Visa and Mastercard, as
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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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