
Russia’s coronavirus epidemic continues to grow. What is Putin doing? PRO Members Public
Russia now ranks among the world’s top 20 countries for numbers of COVID-19 patients. Over 10,000 Russians have tested positive for COVID-19, and the rate of growth shows no sign of slowing. Experts believe Russia’s health care system is already failing to cope. Companies are beginning to

Russia’s coronavirus epidemic continues to grow PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our main story is Russia’s coronavirus epidemic that is accelerating fast, particularly in Moscow. We also look at Russia’s role in international oil diplomacy and a new list of 391 websites that the government is making free to access. Russia’s coronavirus epidemic continues to

Are mass surveillance measures a bigger risk than COVID-19? PRO Members Public
Early this week, plans for a system to enforce a Moscow lockdown were leaked on social media (Kommersant newspaper later confirmed their authenticity). It was a terrifying glimpse into an Orwellian future. They consisted of: compulsory QR-codes for all Muscovites further than 100 metres from their homes; a tracking app

Russia gives up controlling stake in Rosneft PRO Members Public
Amid the coronavirus news, you may have missed one of the biggest deals in the Russian oil industry for several years. Oil giant Rosneft announced last weekend that it was selling its Venezuelan business to another state-owned company for $3.8 billion. * All Rosneft’s joint ventures, service companies and

Big Brother during COVID-19 PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is a look at the mass surveillance technology Russia is readying to roll-out as a part of its response to the coronavirus. We also look at Putin’s U-turn on support for oil production cuts, Russia’s month-long public holiday, state-owned oil giant Rosneft’

Can new taxes, handouts and a holiday soften Russia’s economic pain? PRO Members Public
As the U.S. passed a $2.2 trillion legislation package this week to help those hit by the coronavirus, Russian President Vladimir Putin also unveiled a raft of emergency economic measures. Putin promised financial help for business owners, but simultaneously hit them with the burden of a nationwide, week-long

Putin’s populist rescue plan PRO Members Public
Hello! This week, our focus is on Russia’s response to COVID-19: we examine both Putin’s emergency economic plan and the new restrictions on daily life. Away from the pandemic, we look at why new owners at leading business daily Vedomosti likely mean censorship, Pavel Durov’s upcoming defeat

Putin shows his disdain for business PRO Members Public
There was never much doubt about Putin’s instinctive distrust of business and the market economy. And in an interview with the state-owned TASS news agency released this week, he was direct about it, making a snide reference to “so-called” business. But most people disagree with him: 80 percent of

Testing, panic buying & indifference: Russia battles coronavirus PRO Members Public
Until very recently, there were very few cases of Covid-19 in Russia. There are various theories for this, from smart protective measures to a dysfunctional testing system. But the epidemic really took hold this week when the number of new cases started rising by 30 a day — and it has

Coronavirus takes hold PRO Members Public
Hello! This week our top story is about battering taken by stock markets and the ruble and how the government is planning to keep Russian economy on track. We also look at Russia’s changing response to the coronavirus epidemic, an interview in which Putin revealed his instinctive disdain for