The politics of inflation PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is Russia’s biggest interest rate hike in 7 years amid growing fears of an inflationary spiral. We also detail a bombshell media investigation suggesting officials hid four out of every five COVID-19 cases, and why details of the gaudy mansion of an allegedly
Russia seeks closure of top investigative outlet Proekt PRO Members Public
The Russian authorities this week dramatically escalated their assault on independent journalism. Until now, the most repressive tactic has been to designate independent journalists and media outlets as ‘foreign agents’ — affecting their financial viability and complicating. But this changed Thursday when investigative outlet Proekt was branded an ‘undesirable organization’. This
Putin’s new historical interest: Russians and Ukrainians PRO Members Public
President Vladimir Putin has a new historical focus. In a 5,000-word article published Monday, he looked at the historical ties between Russia and Ukraine, criticizing recent Ukrainian laws on indigenous peoples, and the distribution of agricultural land. There are, in fact, similar laws in Russia — something conveniently omitted by
Private healthcare provider EMC valued at $1.1 billion in IPO PRO Members Public
The European Medical Center (EMC) — the hospital of choice for many foreign visitors to Moscow — was valued at $1.1 billion Thursday in its initial public offering. One of Russia’s largest healthcare providers, EMC raised $500 million as investors were drawn to its three-decade transformation from a group of
‘Major Grom’ brings Russians and American together PRO Members Public
A Russian action film with coded references to Russian politics became Netflix’s most-streamed film this week. ‘Major Grom: Plague Doctor’ is about an incorruptible cop facing off against a mass-murdering IT billionaire who bears an uncanny resemblance to Telegram messaging service founder Pavel Durov. * Netflix released ‘Major Grom: Plague
Growing media crackdown PRO Members Public
Hello! Our top story this week is another assault on independent media with the effective ban of investigative journalism outlet Proekt. We also look at Putin’s 5,000-word historical essay on Russians and Ukrainians, a billion-dollar IPO for a leading private healthcare provider, and the chart-topping success of Russian-made
Russia’s first major corporate LGBT+ scandal PRO Members Public
Social media went into a meltdown this week when supermarket chain VkusVill launched — and then suppressed — an ad campaign involving a homosexual couple. Vkusvill suffered significant reputational damage in what was the first major LGBT+ scandal to engulf a top Russian company. * VkusVill is a successful Moscow food retailer that
Officials mull tax hike for the middle class PRO Members Public
After a raid on the ‘superprofits’ of metals companies, Russian officials are now looking at new taxes: one on the middle class, and another on high earners. The two levies being considered could bring in as much as 200 billion rubles ($2.7 billion) a year to the state’s
Media law sparks ‘terrorist’ absurdity at Taliban talks PRO Members Public
The withdrawal of U.S. forces appears to have reignited Afghanistan’s civil war and could even return the Taliban to power — but the Kremlin has prepared for such an eventuality by cultivating a relationship with the Taliban. The arrival of a Taliban delegation in Moscow for talks Thursday could
Corporate LGBT+ scandal PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is the social media storm that erupted when a top Russian retailer featured a homosexual couple in an ad — and then apologized for doing so. We also look at government plans for a tax hike on the middle class, and the jokes that resulted
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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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