Russia cancels national ID cards for anti-war exiles PRO Members Public
It seems that the Russian authorities have found a new way of pressuring opposition activists who left the country: annulling their internal passports — effectively a national ID card. So far a few cases have emerged and it is not clear whether this will be a widespread measure. But the potential
Russia puts the brakes on YouTube, WhatsApp PRO Members Public
After abandoning plans to block popular Western internet services, the Russian authorities have now moved to trying to slow them down. This week it emerged that YouTube was being throttled — a platform where millions of Russians watch reports and interviews from independent journalists undermining the Kremlin’s case for its
THE BELL WEEKLY: The Kremlin versus YouTube PRO Members Public
Hello! This week we cover Russian authorities slowing down traffic to YouTube and WhatsApp. We also look at the latest targeting of anti-war exiles and why a plane crash has shone a light on Russia’s import substitution drive. Russia puts the brakes on YouTube, WhatsApp After abandoning plans to
Russia’s acute labor shortage PRO 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. Our top story is a deep dive into Russia’s wartime labor shortage, and what’s driving it. We also look at some Western successes targeting
Russia ends subsidized mortgages, leaving a housing bubble and inequality behind PRO Members Public
On July 1, Russia halted its preferential mortgage program after awarding loans to millions of people at interest rates of up to 8% — half the Central Bank’s current base rate. The program was first introduced to support the real estate market during the Covid pandemic, but ultimately proved hugely
Award-winning director and playwright sentenced to six years PRO Members Public
A Russian military court on Monday put a grim end to one of the most high-profile political cases of the last year. Director Yevgenia Berkovich and playwright Svetlana Petriychuk were sentenced to six years in prison on charges of “justifying terrorism.” The case is designed to become a demonstrative example
Online voting, electronic manipulation PRO Members Public
Russia’s electoral system is moving closer to the Kremlin’s idea of perfection. For the first time in history, an upcoming poll for elections to the Moscow City Duma will be fully online. Electronic voting makes it much easier for the authorities to manipulate the results and has the
THE BELL WEEKLY: Kremlin goes all-in on online elections PRO Members Public
Hello. This week we look at how the Kremlin is embracing online voting — and how it further streamlines the manipulation of elections. We also look at how a state-backed mortgage program fuelled inequality and a housing bubble, and a landmark sentence designed to scare Russia’s intelligentsia. Online voting, electronic
Why is Narendra Modi coming to Moscow? 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. Our top story this time is Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first wartime visit to Russia. We also look at whether legal proceedings to designate
Russia’s propagandists on the Biden-Trump debate PRO Members Public
A presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump was always going to be too tasty an affair to pass up for Russia’s hoard of propagandists. While the coverage on state TV was surprisingly calm, focused mainly on Biden’s health, columns published on pro-Kremlin sites were far more
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The Bell a été fondé en 2017 par les journalistes Elizaveta Osetinskaya, Irina Malkova et Peter Mironenko en tant que média indépendant des autorités russes, après que ses fondateurs ont été limogés de leur poste de rédacteurs en chef du plus grand site d'information russe, RBC, en raison des pressions exercées par le Kremlin.
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