
Opposition financier accused of ordering attacks on Navalny allies PRO Members Public
Russia’s opposition in exile has been hit by a monumental scandal, the likes of which may never have been seen before. Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation has accused Leonid Nevzlin, the billionaire former business partner of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, of organizing a series of attacks on the group’s key

THE BELL WEEKLY: Attacks-for-hire scandal rocks Russian opposition PRO Members Public
Hello! This week we look at a major scandal among the Russian opposition after allies of the late Alexei Navlany alleged a close associate of former oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky ordered violent attacks against them. We also look at another exodus of tech companies as a result of the latest US

Chinese automaker becomes the largest foreign company in Russia PRO Members Public
The exodus of Western companies sparked by the Russian invasion and subsequent sanctions has completely changed Russia’s corporate landscape. New research into the top foreign companies active in the Russian market reveals the extent of that overhaul over the last two and a half years. * Of the 50 biggest

Russian army movie causes a scandal at Venice Film Festival PRO Members Public
At last week’s Venice Film Festival, Russian-Canadian director Anastasia Trofimova premiered her latest work, “Russians at War”, a documentary following the lives of Russian soldiers serving at the front. Its inclusion in the program caused a scandal, with Ukrainian politicians criticizing it as pro-Kremlin propaganda — claims dismissed by Trofimova

Russians calm in the face of Ukraine’s counter-offensive PRO Members Public
It has been more than a month since Ukrainian forces crossed the border into the Kursk region, launching a surprise offensive into Russian territory. In that time they have captured hundreds of Russian prisoners of war and occupied more than 1,000 square kilometers of land in the first invasion

THE BELL WEEKLY: How Russian society ignores Ukraine’s Kursk incursion PRO Members Public
Hello. This week we talk to a top sociologist about why Ukraine’s surprise counter-offensive into the Kursk region has not shocked Russian society. We also cover the scandal surrounding a film about Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine, and how a Chinese carmaker became the largest foreign business in the

‘Putin could fall if he loses the support of a few hundred people’ PRO Members Public
The Bell editor Viacheslav Dvornikov spoke to political scientist Marcel Dirsus, author of the acclaimed new book, "How Tyrants Fall," about what his study of dictatorships and autocrats suggests is in store for the Putin regime — and how his demise could come about. The full interview is available

Pavel Durov opposed strict moderation — it could cost him his freedom, and his company PRO Members Public
Telegram founder and Russian tech icon Pavel Durov spent just 96 hours in a French jail. Released on house arrest, the case is far from over, and will have repercussions way beyond him and his platform. The saga looks set to go a long way towards shaping the future relationship

THE BELL WEEKLY: How Telegram’s hands-off approach backfired PRO Members Public
Hello! This week we again look at the case against Telegram founder Pavel Durov — how the site’s lax approach to content moderation put the service at the heart of the online gray economy, and landed Durov in a French jail. We also spoke to an expert on autocratic regimes

THE BELL WEEKLY: The arrest of Pavel Durov PRO Members Public
Hello! This week we bring you an extended look at the arrest of Pavel Durov in France — covering the Telegram founder’s history in Russia, what we know so far about his shock arrest and what it could mean for the platform. Durov’s French affair Late Saturday evening at