Newsletter
Russia’s hidden economic weak points: What to watch in 2026 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. This week we run through ten potential signs of stress in the Russian economy, highlighting what to watch in 2026 as the war drags into its
Russia silent on Venezuela PRO Members Public
Hello and Happy New Year! In our first newsletter of 2026, we look at why Russia is trying to bury its head in the sand over Venezuela. First Assad, now Maduro. Russian allies falling by the wayside. The New Year has brought new headaches for Russia’s foreign policy. In
The cost to Russia of losing Maduro PRO Members Public
Hello and Happy New Year! Welcome to your weekly guide to the Russian economy, written by Alexander Kolyandr and Alexandra Prokopenko and brought to you by The Bell. In our first newsletter of 2026, we look at how the US campaign against Venezuela is creating a painful headache for Russia.
How Russia’s economy changed in 2025 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. This week we bring you a state of the nation rundown, a look at the condition of Russia’s economy as it enters 2026. Thank you
The most hated woman in Russia PRO Members Public
Hello! Our focus this week is on a legal scandal that has gripped the headlines for weeks — and what it tells us about celebrity culture in Russia today. Controversial court ruling triggers uproar against pro-Putin singer Russia is ending the year with a massive domestic scandal surrounding singer Larisa Dolina,
Final battle for Russia’s frozen billions 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 look at the battle over whether the EU will channel Russia’s frozen assets to Ukraine — and how Moscow is already responding. Edited
Russia approaching end-game of digital repression PRO Members Public
Hello! This week we look at how Russia’s assault on foreign internet platforms is reaching its final stage, with new threats against WhatsApp, the blocking of FaceTime and Snapchat, and increasingly sophisticated tools to stamp out VPNs. Before we start, The Bell is pleased to announce our upcoming webinar
EU puts Russia on financial blacklist 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 analyze the EU’s decision to put Russia on its financial blacklist, and what Putin hopes to bring back from his trip to
Russia’s Banks vs. Oligarch-Backed E-Commerce Giants PRO Members Public
Hello! This week we get under the hood of Russia’s biggest business clash of the moment as the country’s financial giants try to take on the booming online marketplaces. Finance fights back against online retailers A clash of the lobbying titans is underway in Russian big business. The
Wartime debts drag Russian businesses down PRO Members Public
Hello! Welcome to your weekly guide to the Russian economy, written by Alexander Kolyandr and Alexandra Prokopenko and and brought to you by The Bell. This week we look at how the Kremlin may have the upper hand on the battlefield, but at home its top companies are struggling with
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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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