Economy
Soaring ruble set to come back down to earth PRO Members Public
To the surprise of many, the first four months of 2025 have turned out to be one of the best periods for the Russian currency in recent years. The ruble, which ended 2024 with its worst performance since 2022, has suddenly started to strengthen, boosted by a host of factors.
Kirill Dmitriev: Economic envoy, or political peace-maker? PRO Members Public
Hello! This week we bring you a detailed look at Kirill Dmitriev — the Kremlin’s special envoy on economic talks with the United States who has been Moscow’s most high-profile negotiator with Donald Trump’s White House over restoring ties and ending the war in Ukraine. Before we begin,
Propagandists revel in US tariffs, ignoring peril to Russian economy PRO Members Public
Russian officials and propagandists rushed to portray the United States’ new tariffs as a blow against Europe – completely ignoring the potential consequences it could have on Russia’s domestic economy. The main message on state media has been that the tariffs have divided the EU, while U.S. President Donald
Russians’ wellbeing levels surge in face of war, sanctions and repression PRO Members Public
Despite being hit with unprecedented Western sanctions, the war with Ukraine has been accompanied by a noticeable increase in the well-being of Russians. A new study has revealed the extent of the domestic feel-good factor, with economists at the Bank of Finland Institute for Emerging Economics (BOFIT) finding the level
Does Russia really face a wave of bankruptcies PRO Members Public
Amid the central bank’s aggressive interest rate hikes last year – taking the key rate to a two-decade high of 21% – the industrial lobby, joined by sympathetic economists, has been increasingly warning of a wave of bankruptcies as over-exposed industries struggle to service their debts. We took a look at
Russia’s economy risk freezing over PRO Members Public
Russian economic activity is showing a slowdown not only in manufacturing, but also in the service sector — early signs of an impending hit to growth after 2024’s robust expansion of 4.1%. * The monthly PMI index — a closely watched indicator of business activity — recorded a slowdown in both the
Daron Acemoglu talks to The Bell about Putin, Zelensky and Trump PRO Members Public
Daron Acemoglu, one of the most cited economists in the world, received the Nobel Prize for Economics last year alongside his team for their research into how institutions affect well-being. Three years of war in Ukraine has finally ended the idea of institutions in Russia – but neither the government nor
How Russians assess their life after three years of war PRO Members Public
Three years of fighting in Ukraine have seriously affected the lives of Russian residents, sociologists say. Day-to-day life got worse for more than half the population, and more than a third found their financial circumstances have deteriorated. * 54% of Russians said that the war had a negative effect on their
High interest rates could trigger wave of bankruptcies, says think tank linked to defense minister PRO Members Public
The Center for Macroeconomic Analysis and Short-Term Forecasting—which has deep connections to Defense Minister Andrei Belousov—has predicted a wave of bankruptcies if high interest rates stay in place. Alongside arms manufacturers and big businesses, the think tank is one of the main lobbyists calling for lower borrowing costs.
How a billionaire Armenian separatist leader, now on trial in Azerbaijan, made his fortune in Russia PRO Members Public
Some 18 months after regaining control over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, Azerbaijan has begun putting the former leaders of the breakaway pro-Armenian republic on trial. The most high-profile among them is Ruben Vardanyan, an investment banker who managed the finances of the Russian elite before giving it all up in an
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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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