Newsletter
Putin asks businesses to pay for war PRO Members Public
Hello! Welcome to your weekly guide to the Russian economy, written by Alexander Kolyandr, Irina Malkova and Alexandra Prokopenko and brought to you by The Bell. This week we analyze Putin’s call for top business to pay extra for the war in Ukraine even as the Kremlin is cashing
Rate cut number seven PRO Members Public
Russia’s central bank on Friday cut its key rate by 50 basis points to 15%. “The economy is approaching a balanced growth trajectory. In February, price rises slowed as expected after a temporary surge in January. The Bank of Russia estimates that price inflation will continue at a stable
Everybody Against Mr Nobody PRO Members Public
Hello! This week we cover how Oscar-winning documentary, Mr. Nobody Against Putin, went down inside Russia, and why it’s caused a stir among both the Kremlin’s backers and its critics. Russians fight over Mr Nobody Earlier this month, Russia won the Best Documentary Oscar for the first time
Mideast food crisis another opportunity for Russia PRO Members Public
Hello! Welcome to your weekly guide to the Russian economy, written by Alexander Kolyandr and Alexandra Prokopenko and brought to you by The Bell. This week we cover one underreported aspect of how Russia could benefit from the war in the Middle East: a looming global food crisis and surging
Moscow goes offline PRO Members Public
Hello! Over the last week Russia’s internet blackouts have reached a new extreme, this week we look at how Moscow is coping with being thrown back to the online dark ages, and why the authorities are cutting the connection right now. Russian capital hit by week-long internet blackouts The
Russia pushes spending cuts despite oil boom PRO Members Public
Hello! Welcome to your weekly guide to the Russian economy, written by Alexander Kolyandr and Alexandra Prokopenko and brought to you by The Bell. Even as hundreds of millions of unexpected dollars flow into Moscow’s coffers thanks to surging oil prices, Moscow is still pressing ahead with spending cuts.
Russia watches on as war engulfs Middle East PRO Members Public
Hello! The war in the Middle East has dominated Russian attention over the last nine days, even pushing its own invasion of Ukraine down the running order. This week we take a look at how the conflict is affecting Russia, and how Moscow is reacting to the fighting. Stranded tourists,
How Russia wins from war in the Middle East PRO Members Public
Hello! Welcome to your weekly guide to the Russian economy, written by Alexander Kolyandr and Alexandra Prokopenko and brought to you by The Bell. Despite facing the possible loss of a geopolitical ally, Russia stands to win big from the Iran war on both the economic and political fronts. Oil,
Can Telegram challenge the Putin regime? PRO Members Public
Hello! As Russia prepares to initiate a full block on Telegram, the country’s most important messenger and social media platform, The Bell goes inside the blitz campaign that sealed its fate, and why skirting the restrictions is far from a given. Telegram vs. the Kremlin: Round Two Telegram’s
Russia is already cutting its 2026 budget PRO Members Public
Hello! Welcome to your weekly guide to the Russian economy, written by Alexandra Prokopenko and Alexander Kolyandr and brought to you by The Bell. Barely two months into 2026, the Russian government has already been forced to start talking about spending cuts, as reality starts to bite for its overly
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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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