Russia mulls fiscal belt-tightening 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, our top story is a look at a suggestion by Finance Minister Anton Siluanov that there could be a change to fiscal rules that
Russia legalizes the Taliban PRO 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
More than five years in jail for being a journalist PRO 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,
Soaring ruble set to come back down to earth PRO Members Public
To the surprise of many, the first four months of 2025 have turned out to be one of the best periods for the Russian currency in recent years. The ruble, which ended 2024 with its worst performance since 2022, has suddenly started to strengthen, boosted by a host of factors.
THE BELL WEEKLY: Russian Ruble surges under Trump PRO Members Public
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Kirill Dmitriev: Economic envoy, or political peace-maker? PRO Members Public
Hello! This week we bring you a detailed look at Kirill Dmitriev — the Kremlin’s special envoy on economic talks with the United States who has been Moscow’s most high-profile negotiator with Donald Trump’s White House over restoring ties and ending the war in Ukraine. Before we begin,
Could a global trade war destabilize Russia’s finances? 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 look at what the effect of a prolonged trade war and lower oil prices would be on the Russian economy. We also examine
Russian pro-war bloggers blame Ukrainian civilians after deadly missile strike PRO 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
More trouble for Putin’s former aide Chubais PRO Members Public
Russian law enforcement agencies have stepped up their targeting of Rusnano, a state company that invested in promising tech projects. For the first time, Anatoly Chubais, one of the architects of Moscow’s 1990s economic reforms and long-time Rusnano chief, is himself coming under direct threat. Until recently, Chubais – who
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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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