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Kremlin Eases Quarantine for Access to Putin as Presidential Elections Approach

At the same time, personal meetings with Putin now hold greater significance for members of the establishment than ever amid the war in Ukraine.

opinion Farida Rustamova and Maxim Tovkaylo

One Question for Arkady Volozh and Other Russian Billionaires

Who will deal with what is happening inside Russia? This is a question posed not only for Volozh to answer, but for all Russian businessmen.

opinion Farida Rustamova and Maxim Tovkaylo

‘We Were Called In for a Meeting and Handed Weapons’: How the Russian Elites Survived the Prigozhin Rebellion

Sources in Putin's circle, the Kremlin, the government, and state-owned companies described panicked flight-booking, self-armament and doomscrolling.

opinion Maxim Tovkaylo

Gazprom: A Weapon of the Kremlin, in Metaphor and Reality

The existence of private armies means that the struggle within the Russian elite to appoint Putin's successor could very quickly turn bloody.

opinion Farida Rustamova and Maxim Tovkaylo

Anything But More Mobilization: Russia’s Stealthy Push to Find More Soldiers

The Kremlin's aim appears to be to convince more Russians to join up as professional servicemen and be deployed to Ukraine.

opinion Farida Rustamova and Maxim Tovkaylo

Alfa Tycoons as Victims? Come On

Alfa Group’s recruitment of opposition figures in its lobbying for sanctions removal appears to have badly backfired.

opinion Farida Rustamova and Maxim Tovkaylo

Will Putin Announce Another Round of Mobilization?

Talk of a second mobilization wave in Russia has been on everyone’s lips in recent weeks. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov claimed it...

opinion Farida Rustamova and Maxim Tovkaylo

What Secret Russian State Polling Tells Us About Support for the War

Do Russians support the war in Ukraine? This question has been discussed intensely since the invasion in February. According to surveys from major Russian...

opinion Farida Rustamova and Maxim Tovkaylo

Amid Ukraine War, Putin is Changing How Russia is Governed

When declaring martial law in Russian-occupied Ukraine last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin also handed special powers to regional authorities...

opinion Farida Rustamova and Maxim Tovkaylo

Putin Always Chooses Escalation

After seven months of war with Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared mobilization and is poised to annex four occupied Ukrainian regions...

Inspection Services' Benefit Not in Profit

Government watchdogs are unprofitable — in 2010 they spent 91.2 billion rubles but sought fines of only 12.5 billion rubles.

Tourism Industry Has Room to Improve

Russia came in 59th out of 139 countries worldwide in the World Economic Forum's latest tourism industry ranking.

Central Bank Raising $117M Seaside Resort in Sochi

The Central Bank will spend $117 million to build a 200-room, four-star resort in Sochi as part of the effort to offset the shortage of hotel space for...

Economic Ministry Suggests Property Inspections

The Economic Development Ministry is proposing that property inspections be carried out starting in 2013 to increase tax collection rates, ministry...

Liberal Economist Joins Volodin

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has appointed Anna Popova, a deputy economic development minister described by colleagues as a staunch liberal, as the first...

Moscow Leads in Building Red Tape

While it is becoming easier to build, administrative barriers in several regions, such as Moscow, remain high, the Regional Development Ministry said in...

Medvedev Orders Customs Service Reforms

Acknowledging that cumbersome customs regulations are causing Russia to fall behind in its battle to attract investment, President Dmitry Medvedev ordered...

Up to 50% of Checks on Small Business Illegal

The majority of unplanned checks on small businesses are not being approved beforehand by the Prosecutor General's Office, which is being circumvented...

'Last' Huge Oil Fields to Cost $2Bln

The Energy Ministry is seeking a record price of 60 billion rubles ($2 billion) to develop the Trebs and Titov oil fields, and the government looks determined...