East-West Digital News

Founded in 2011, East-West Digital News is an online resource dedicated to the Russian high tech industry — providing fresh news, market research and business consulting services. Its news service and publications were suspended in 2022 as a consequence of Russia’s war on Ukraine and the subsequent international isolation.

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Russia mandates social networks to “self-control” unlawful content

September 25, 2021

This past Wednesday Roskomnadzor, Russia’s telecom and Internet regulator, announced the launch of a registry of major domestic and foreign social networks. The regulator cites amendments to the Russian legislation on information and information technologies which came in force on Feb. 1, 2021. Establishing the “self-control” of social networks, these new rules mandate them to …

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How Russia forced Apple and Google to block anti-Kremlin app on parliamentary election day

September 28, 2021

On Sept. 17 Apple and Google disabled Russian users’ access to the pro-opposition ‘Smart Voting’ app in their online stores. Just hours later Telegram, the international instant messenger whose creator Pavel Durov touts its full independence, dealt a new blow to ‘Smart Voting’ by suspending — in a selective and controversial way — bots associated with …

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M.Video-Eldorado acquires online lending platform, aims to deploy fintech services “across the entire Russian retail market”

September 23, 2021

Russian consumer electronics major M.Video-Eldorado Group announces today the full acquisition of online lending platform Direct Credit as part of its strategy to develop its “promising fintech business.” The transaction amounted to 1.3 billion rubles (nearly $18 million at the current exchange rate). Direct Credit services will be integrated into in the group’s fast-growing OneRetail platform, both online …

M.Video-Eldorado acquires online lending platform, aims to deploy fintech services “across the entire Russian retail market” Read More

Cédric Etlicher of Scaleo Medical: “Doing business with Russians spices life up!”

March 27, 2024

Based in Montpellier, France, Scaleo Medical is a developer and producer of medical equipment for hospital and home use. With a focus on oxygen therapy, respiratory orthopaedics and patient transfer tools, the company is now developing a brand-new concept around e-health devices. Cédric Etlicher, GM of Scaleo Medical in Russia, shared with FrenchTech his experience of doing business …

Cédric Etlicher of Scaleo Medical: “Doing business with Russians spices life up!” Read More

Yandex teams up with top US funds to commercialize database management solutions

September 22, 2021

Earlier this week Yandex, the NASDAQ-listed Russian digital giant, announced the incorporation of ClickHouse as a legal entity. This spinoff aims to provide commercial impetus to what was so far essentially a community-led open source activity around distributed database management systems (DBMS).  Under plans, new commercial products will be developed — including, for example, a cloud-based version of DBMS …

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Russian Softline pursues international expansion in Baltic states, Belarus, Egypt

September 28, 2021

Softline, an international solution and service provider with Russian roots, is pursuing its international expansion with two deals announced this month, ahead of a potential London IPO. The group announced it acquired the licensing business of Squalio, an international data technology company, in the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) and Belarus Belarus and Estonia. Founded in 1997 in Latvia, Squalio has representative …

Russian Softline pursues international expansion in Baltic states, Belarus, Egypt Read More

Global meal kit delivery giant HelloFresh invests in Russian counterpart Chefmarket

September 20, 2021

HelloFresh, the Germany-based international meal kit giant, has acquired an “approximately 10% stake” in its Russian counterpart Chefmarket. The amount of this investment (a capital injection) was not disclosed, but the companies mentioned a “single-digit million euro figure” in their announcement last week.  The deal is touted as “a strategic step for HelloFresh to tap into an emerging market with significant growth potential,” …

Global meal kit delivery giant HelloFresh invests in Russian counterpart Chefmarket Read More

Russia tightens control over foreign large-traffic sites and apps

September 23, 2021

A new law regulating the activity of foreign digital companies in Russia, adopted in early July, is already coming into force, as witnessed by several new orders issued last week by Roskomnadzor, the Internet and telecom regulator. Owners of websites, information systems, or electronic programs that generate a daily traffic of 500,000 users from Russia or more are required to open a …

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Russian mobile operator MTS to invest $100 million in AI startups across the world

October 11, 2021

MTS AI, the artificial intelligence arm of Russian telco MTS, is launching an international acceleration program and venture fund to invest in AI startups across the world. Dubbed ‘Intema,’ the platform plans to invest some $100 million in startups from late seed up to Series B. The investments focus on language, image and behavior analytics, edge computing and logistics, Alexey Posternak, CFO …

Russian mobile operator MTS to invest $100 million in AI startups across the world Read More

This Siberian-born unicorn is now among the world’s top ride-hailing apps

September 23, 2021

A new unicorn emerged discretely earlier this year in the globalized Russian-speaking startup entrepreneur community. InDriver, a ride-hailing app founded in Yakutsk, Siberia, back in 2012, was valued at $1.23 billion as it raised $150 million this past February from leading North American funds. The deal remained undisclosed until last week, when InDriver’s founder Arsen …

This Siberian-born unicorn is now among the world’s top ride-hailing apps Read More

Court marshals visit Google’s Moscow office to enforce censorship decision

September 18, 2021

In the run-up to Russia’s parliamentary elections on Sept. 17-18-19, the Kremlin’s battle against online dissent brings new developments almost daily. Tech giants are not spared, with Google at the forefront earlier this week. Court marshals visited the company’s Moscow office to enforce an injunctive measure to remove the opposition-minded ‘Smart Voting’ site from search results. This …

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New Russian fund intends to invest $100 million in AI/ML projects across Europe and Israel

September 14, 2021

The Russian investment club Promising Projects and the AI Cluster of the Novosibirsk Akademgorodok have teamed up to launch a $100 million fund focusing on AI, ML, data mathematics and cybersecurity. Dubbed ‘AI 1 Ventures’ and incorporated in Luxembourg, the new fund targets such areas as Eastern and Western Europe, including the Baltic states, as well as Israel. Tickets from $250,000 to $5 …

New Russian fund intends to invest $100 million in AI/ML projects across Europe and Israel Read More

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