Economy
The Ukraine war means Russia needs a digital ruble more than ever Paid Members Public
Hello! This is Alexandra Prokopenko with your weekly guide to the Russian economy — brought to you by The Bell. Our top story is Russia’s digital ruble and why it could be of significant use to the Kremlin while it wages its brutal war in Ukraine. We also look at
How does Russia’s drift toward totalitarianism affect the economy? Paid Members Public
Hello! This is Alexandra Prokopenko with your weekly guide to the Russian economy — brought to you by The Bell. Our top story is the amendments to a military service law that entails a radical restriction on freedoms inside the country. We also look at why inflation is not falling as
The ruble suffers its worst week of 2023 Paid Members Public
Just under a year ago, the Russian ruble was named the best performing currency in the world. As a result of currency controls introduced by the Russian authorities and a sharp drop in import volumes, it rose in value after the invasion of Ukraine to levels not seen since 2014.
Real incomes keep on falling Paid Members Public
Hello! This is Alexandra Prokopenko with your weekly guide to the Russian economy — brought to you by The Bell. Today, I am joined by The Bell economy reporter Denis Kasyanchuk and we’ll look at what’s happening to incomes and living standards in Russia. What risks does the current
Russia continues to toy with Stalinist practice of putting convicts to work Paid Members Public
The Federal Prison Service (FSIN) is revisiting a 2017 idea to send prisoners to work for defense conglomerate Rostec, which manages most of Russia’s military factories. Convicts are unlikely to be used in the assembling of missiles and aircraft, but could be given other, less skilled roles, sources told
Arresting foreigners and the Kremlin’s search for leverage Paid Members Public
Hello! This is Alexandra Prokopenko with your weekly guide to the Russian economy — brought to you by The Bell. Although it doesn’t fit our economics-focus, given recent developments, I believe it is most appropriate to start this week’s newsletter with the arrest of our friend and colleague, WSJ
“Leaked” audio of Russian elites slamming the Kremlin makes a splash on social media Paid Members Public
Unexpectedly, the hot news item over the weekend was the leak of what appears to be a half-hour telephone conversation between Iosif Prigozhin, a famous music producer and Putin’s confidante during the last presidential elections, and Farkhad Akhmedov, a businessman and former senator. The pair sharply criticized Russian authorities
Russia has too few workers Paid Members Public
Hello! This is Alexandra Prokopenko with your weekly guide to the Russian economy — brought to you by The Bell. In today’s newsletter, we focus on the dynamics of the Russian labor market where there is a growing staff shortage. We also look at how Russia became the biggest foreign
