Russia’s odd ceasefire demands Paid 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 in detail at Moscow’s strange demands to sign up to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in the Black Sea. We also
Russia no longer pushing Ukrainian link to Moscow concert hall massacre Paid Members Public
Russian authorities appear to have quietly lost interest in pushing the idea that Ukraine was somehow connected to the worst terrorist attack in Russia of the last two decades. On the first anniversary of the Crocus City Hall massacre, officials barely mentioned the alleged Ukrainian link — something which they never
Russia jails dissident once targeted by Putin at KGB for 16 years Paid Members Public
A court in St. Petersburg has sentenced Alexander Skobov, a 66-year-old Soviet dissident and activist, to 16 years in jail on charges of justifying terrorism and joining a terrorist group. Skovov was first arrested more than four decades ago and Vladimir Putin was among the KGB officers who worked on
VK posts huge loss, eyes massive cash injection Paid Members Public
Tech giant VK, which operates the country’s largest social media site and is often dubbed “Russia’s Facebook”, posted a staggering set of results for 2024: a billion-dollar loss and overall outstanding debt of more than $2 billion. Now the firm, which the Kremlin is backing heavily to create
THE BELL WEEKLY: Billion-dollar loss for Russia's Facebook Paid Members Public
Hello! Our main story this week is how the state is going to bail out VK after a staggering loss and mounting debt pile. We also cover the jailing of a Soviet-era dissident, once targeted by Vladimir Putin at the KGB, and highlight how the authorities are no longer trying
Continuing war and continuing nationalizations Paid 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 two meetings attended by Putin and what signals he gave about an end to the fighting in Ukraine, and Russia’s
Does Russia really face a wave of bankruptcies Paid 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
The end of Radio Liberty: What does it mean for Russia? Paid Members Public
President Donald Trump’s decision to liquidate the U.S. Agency for Global Media and stop funding Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has had a particularly strong impact on Russian society – not least because of the important role RFE/RL played throughout Soviet/Russian history. If RFE/RL ceases its
Ahead of Trump call, Putin lets Western funds sell frozen Russian assets for the first time Paid Members Public
On the eve of a phone call with Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin unveiled his latest overture to the United States. For the first time in three years of war, he signed an order on Monday allowing major US investment funds to sell their holdings of frozen Russian securities. The move
THE BELL WEEKLY: Sabotage claims fuel nationalization drive Paid Members Public
Hello! This week our main story is Vladimir Putin letting some Western investors sell their frozen Russian assets ahead of his high-stakes call with Donald Trump. We also look at what Russians stand to lose if Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty ceases to exist and take stock of mounting worries
