Politics

Internet outages and airport disruption threaten Putin’s deal with Russia’s middle classes Members Public

While Russians living in Moscow and other cities away from the border have suffered nothing like the kind of deadly attacks Ukrainians in Kyiv have been put through — with Vladimir Putin deploying hundreds of drones and missiles in escalating nightly barrages — the cost of the war is starting to become

Pyotr Mironenko Pyotr Mironenko
Politics

Iran-Israel war plays into Kremlin hands Members Public

Hello! This week we cover how Moscow could benefit from the conflict between Iran and Israel. We also unpack an investigation into Telegram and the FSB, examining what mobile data Russia’s security services can and cannot access. Moscow stands to benefit from all-out war between Israel and Iran Although

Denis Kasyanchuk Denis Kasyanchuk
Russia, Explained

Russia’s Pearl Harbor? Members Public

Hello! This week we look in depth at Ukraine’s attacks on Russian air bases housing its strategic bomber fleet — what it means for the war, could Russia go nuclear in response, and why state TV hasn’t been talking about it. Ukraine attacks Russian strategic bomber fleet in stunning

Denis Kasyanchuk Denis Kasyanchuk
Russia, Explained

Repression set to tighten Members Public

Hello! This week we analyze how Russia is preparing to tighten the screws on domestic critics and why a ceasefire in Ukraine would only lead to yet more repression on the home front. Russia steps up campaign against the ‘enemy within’ ahead of possible ceasefire Amid a thaw in relations

Pyotr Mironenko Pyotr Mironenko
Russia, Explained

Istanbul talks: Russia’s impossible demands Members Public

Hello! This week we look in detail at what Russia put on the table at the first direct peace talks with Ukraine in more than three years. We also talk a bit about our dear colleague Irina Pankratova, The Bell’s investigative correspondent who recently passed away. Russia comes to

Denis Kasyanchuk Denis Kasyanchuk Irina Malkova Irina Malkova Pyotr Mironenko Pyotr Mironenko
Russia, Explained

THE BELL WEEKLY: How May 9 became a symbol of the ongoing war Members Public

Hello! This week we look at Russia’s celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, and how they have been hijacked by Putin’s political agenda and inextricably tied to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s Victory Day celebrations tie WW2 to attack

Denis Kasyanchuk Denis Kasyanchuk
Russia, Explained

THE BELL WEEKLY: Can Trump bring peace to Ukraine? Members Public

This week we take a detailed look at Donald Trump’s attempts to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine, outline what each side wants, what we’ve learnt from the various plans on the table, and how likely an end to the war might be. This is the last free

Irina Malkova Irina Malkova Pyotr Mironenko Pyotr Mironenko
Russia, Explained

Russia legalizes the Taliban Members Public

The Taliban, banned as a “terrorist organization” in Russia for more than 20 years, has been legalized and had the label expunged by Russia’s Supreme Court, in another sign of warming ties between Russia and the Islamist group. The development is not surprising. Over recent years, the Russian authorities

The Bell
Politics

More than five years in jail for being a journalist Members Public

Journalism continues to be a dangerous profession in Russia. Last week, a Moscow court sentenced four journalists to five and a half years in prison on charges of collaborating with the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), an organisation founded by Alexei Navalny and outlawed as “extremist” in Russia. * The journalists — Antonina Favorskaya,

The Bell
Politics

Russian pro-war bloggers blame Ukrainian civilians after deadly missile strike Members Public

A Russian strike on the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih on Friday killed 20 people, among them nine children. Images of the aftermath of the strike and details of the devastation triggered anger around the world, more than three years after Moscow's invasion. In Russia, pro-war military bloggers

The Bell
Politics
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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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RUSSIA IN GRAPHS

Understand the Russian economy and politics with a monthly infographic plus a selection of articles to add to your reading list, compiled by The Bell’s editors team.