Business
Record levels of pessimism among small businesses PRO Members Public
Russia’s entrepreneurs are more pessimistic than at any point in the last five years, according to a joint survey by the FOM polling group and the Higher School of Economics. The quarterly study, which has been running for five years, found 52% of individual entrepreneurs and small-business owners believe
No money for metal PRO Members Public
The government has twice over the last month rejected calls for financial support from big businesses. First, leading developer Samolet was denied help, and now the entire ferrous metals sector is also being turned away. * First Deputy PM Denis Manturov this week held a meeting on whether to support the
Russia prepares Telegram endgame PRO Members Public
Russia’s authorities have shifted from slowing Telegram to shutting it down completely. At the same time they have launched a criminal case against founder Pavel Durov on allegations of aiding terrorism. Two sources on the telecoms market told The Bell that Russia’s authorities are preparing to shut down
No insulation from nationalization PRO Members Public
Vladimir Putin has signed a decree seizing another asset from another foreign owner. The latest victim of the Russian authorities was Denmark’s Rockwool, which owns four enterprises producing heat and sound insulation materials. The Bell discovered the assets were handed to the management of a division of state defense
How Russian banks adapted to sanctions PRO Members Public
Hello! This week we detail our investigation into how Russian banks are skirting sanctions to transfer money to the EU — the latest in a string of restriction-busting innovations rolled out by the sector amid the Ukraine invasion. The Central Asian fix: Sending rubles to Europe Sanctions against Russia over its
Domodedovo and SPIEF: a masterclass in ignoring reality PRO Members Public
Hello! This week we look at how the nationalization of Moscow’s Domodedovo airport came about and why it was a non-issue at Russia’s premier business and investment forum in Saint Petersburg. SPIEF shrugs off Domodedovo nationalization The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum has long ceased to be a
Russia prepares for a war on WhatsApp PRO Members Public
Hello! This week we look at Russia’s plans to create a domestic messenger platform – and why that spells trouble for the almost 100 million Russian WhatsApp users. Putin backs creation of ‘national messenger’ Russian authorities are moving towards blocking the last major foreign online service that had been – until
How Apple and Google enable Russian censorship PRO Members Public
Hello! This week we take a detailed look into the removal of VPNs from the Russian app stores of Apple and Google, exploring how the US tech giants are effectively enabling Moscow’s sweeping internet censorship. US tech compliant in Russia’s VPN crackdown Russian authorities are waging a serious
More trouble for Putin’s former aide Chubais PRO Members Public
Russian law enforcement agencies have stepped up their targeting of Rusnano, a state company that invested in promising tech projects. For the first time, Anatoly Chubais, one of the architects of Moscow’s 1990s economic reforms and long-time Rusnano chief, is himself coming under direct threat. Until recently, Chubais – who
VK posts huge loss, eyes massive cash injection PRO Members Public
Tech giant VK, which operates the country’s largest social media site and is often dubbed “Russia’s Facebook”, posted a staggering set of results for 2024: a billion-dollar loss and overall outstanding debt of more than $2 billion. Now the firm, which the Kremlin is backing heavily to create
We are working for you
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.
Read about us
