Business
Medvedev threatens reprisals against Yandex bosses over GPT chatbot Paid Members Public
Former president Dmitry Medvedev, the most prominent hawk among senior Russian officials, criticized Yandex’s efforts to create an artificial neural network. Medvedev was unhappy with the efforts of the company, sometimes dubbed “Russia’s Google”, because its AI chatbot refused to answer questions about Ukraine. * Medvedev, now deputy chair
Russia’s VK could be about to get a new CEO Paid Members Public
Vladimir Putin’s inauguration — the official start of his new presidential term — is set for May 7. Talk is swirling that a possible government reshuffle could soon follow. It is not just ministries that are preparing for a leadership change, state-run companies are as well. One of the most widely
The state’s flagship patriotic video game flops Paid Members Public
The much-heralded launch of a state-funded patriotic adventure video game — set in 1612 and based on resistance to Polish forces waging war against Russia — has fallen flat. Critics said the game, The Time of Troubles, was boring and failed to compete with others on the market. * The game is based
How a car salesman became the biggest winner of the corporate exodus from Russia Paid Members Public
The Bell has published a major investigation into Alexander Varshavsky — a car dealership owner who now controls the Russian assets of Volkswagen and Hyundai and is one of the biggest winners of the mass departure of foreign firms from the Russian market. * Alexander Varshavsky and his business partner Kamo Avagumyan
Alexander Varshavsky: The car salesman who became the biggest winner of Russia’s corporate exodus Paid Members Public
The mass departure of international firms from Russia has provided a golden opportunity for previously mid-ranking Russian business owners to jump into the ranks of the corporate elite. Nobody has taken better advantage of the once-in-a-generation chance to snap up profitable companies at massive discounts than Alexander Varshavsky and Kamo
The New Russians: Who is buying up the assets of Western companies leaving Russia? Paid Members Public
The war in Ukraine is changing business in Russia beyond all recognition. This has been obvious from the very first days of the invasion, with Western companies announcing departures in their droves and dozens of Russian business leaders falling under sanctions. The Bell has analyzed exactly who is coming out
Aircraft delays Paid Members Public
* Russia’s aviation industry is among the hardest hit by Western sanctions imposed over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Airlines lost access to leased Airbus and Boeing aircraft and could no longer easily buy parts to service their fleets. A multi-billion-dollar state program to produce home-made planes was meant to
Yandex: the end of independence Paid Members Public
For the past 25 years, Yandex, arguably Russia’s most innovative company, has struggled to preserve its independence from the Kremlin. The announcement of a planned $5.2-billion deal to sell the company’s Russian businesses to a consortium of investors brought an end to that era, raising questions over
The plot to extort the biggest bribe in Russian history Paid Members Public
Russian investigators are currently probing a case related to the biggest attempted bribe in recorded Russian history. FSB officers and officials from the Investigative Committee are said to have fabricated a murder case then tried to use it to extort 15 billion rubles ($200 million) from the alleged suspects, the
Yandex gets a new set of owners Paid Members Public
The two-year saga surrounding the sale of Yandex’s Russian assets is nearing its end. Russia’s leading internet company announced Monday that it is dividing its business in two. Founder Arkady Volozh, who lives in Israel and has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, will keep hold of a
