East-West Digital News

Report: How the war in Ukraine is affecting the content that TikTok users see in Russia

March 22, 2022 March 22, 2022

After Twitter, Facebook and Instagram were banned, TikTok is the only remaining global social media platform still available in Russia. According to Datareportal, it attracted nearly 55 million users in Russia in February 2022; and its audience is likely to grow even more, should it avoid being banned too. What can Russians users see on …

Report: How the war in Ukraine is affecting the content that TikTok users see in Russia Read More

Miro, a US decacorn born in Russia, closes Russian office and commits €1 million for humanitarian support in Ukraine

March 21, 2022 March 21, 2022

In a strong symbol of the crash of Russia’s technology sector, Miro, a US-based decacorn created in Russia eleven years ago, announced last week it was closing its office and stopping sales in its native country. “We are devastated by the escalating war and human tragedy in Ukraine. We continue to call for a swift end …

Miro, a US decacorn born in Russia, closes Russian office and commits €1 million for humanitarian support in Ukraine Read More

Caught between Russia’s censorship and West’s sanctions, Yandex seeks to sell assets

March 19, 2022 March 21, 2022

Yandex, the Russian online search giant — also running a variety of other digital services — is exploring different “strategic options, including disvestment, for its news aggregation service and infotainment platform Zen.” The company stated Friday it intended to “focus on developing its other technology-related businesses and products (including search, advertising, self-driving and cloud) and transactional services (including ride-hailing, e-commerce, …

Caught between Russia’s censorship and West’s sanctions, Yandex seeks to sell assets Read More

Russian startup raises millions to revolutionize garbage collection

March 17, 2022 March 19, 2022

East-West Digital News is happy to bring to its readers this business-as-usual, non war-related story. As industry publication RB.RU just reported, a Russian garbage recycling technology startup called Ubirator raised 170 million rubles (some $2.25 million at the pre-war exchange rate). Founded in 2018 by Nikita Nikishkin and Alexey Khatskevich, two MIPT (PhysTech) graduates, Ubirator …

Russian startup raises millions to revolutionize garbage collection Read More

Russian and Belarusian VCs launch international petition “against the bloodshed in Ukraine”

March 16, 2022 November 21, 2022

Even as Russian authorities are taking unprecedented measures to silence opposition or even free expression, an “international VC and startup petition against the bloodshed in Ukraine” started circulating in the Russian and Belarusian tech business community. Prominent tech investors from or connected with these countries signed the petition just hours after its release. Other signatories …

Russian and Belarusian VCs launch international petition “against the bloodshed in Ukraine” Read More

Instagram blocked in Russia, hitting crowds of individual entrepreneurs

March 14, 2022 March 18, 2022

Today the Russian authorities blocked access to Instagram in the country after they accused its parent company Meta of allowing hate speech against Russians, including the military, on its platforms. Instagram now appears on a list of “restricted” online resources published by the authorities. Earlier this month Roskomnadzor, the Internet and telecom regulator, already blocked access to …

Instagram blocked in Russia, hitting crowds of individual entrepreneurs Read More

How two Russian-founded startups in the US became collateral victims of Putin’s war on Ukraine

March 14, 2022 March 14, 2022

After Russian entrepreneurs asserted themselves last year as chief disruptors in the global food delivery industry — fulfilling orders in around 15 minutes in a variety of Western cities — some of them are now falling as collateral victims of Putin’s war on Ukraine. In early March Buyk — a fresh food delivery service with sizeable operations in New York and Chicago — abruptly …

How two Russian-founded startups in the US became collateral victims of Putin’s war on Ukraine Read More

Instagram and Whatsapp face ban in Russia after Meta allowed hate speech against Russian invaders

March 11, 2022 March 14, 2022

Meta’s properties — including Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp — are likely to cease their activities completely in Russia as the US social media company is now facing a criminal investigation over calls for violence targeting the Russian invaders of Ukraine. “A criminal case has been initiated (…) in connection with illegal calls for murder and …

Instagram and Whatsapp face ban in Russia after Meta allowed hate speech against Russian invaders Read More

Naspers writes off $700 million investment in Russian Internet major VK Company

March 7, 2022 March 9, 2022

Prosus, a Dutch investor affiliated to South African Naspers, announced yesterday it will write off its 25.9% stake in VK Company. This stake was valued on its books at $700 million, as stated by the company. “Over the last week, international sanctions have been imposed on many Russian entities and individuals. These include sanctions on the CEO and indirect …

Naspers writes off $700 million investment in Russian Internet major VK Company Read More

Russia bans Facebook, BBC, Voice of America; Twitter and YouTube could be next

March 4, 2022 March 5, 2022

As it seeks to control the narrative about its war in Ukraine, Russia blocked access to Facebook today. The Internet regulator Roskomnadzor justified its decision by alleged discriminations against Russian media and information resources. No fewer than 26 such cases have been recorded since October 2020, according to Roskomnadzor. The most recent cases concerned the Facebook accounts …

Russia bans Facebook, BBC, Voice of America; Twitter and YouTube could be next Read More

After Nasdaq stock suspension, Yandex could default on $1.25 billion convertible notes

March 3, 2022 March 5, 2022

Yandex, arguably the most successful and emblematic Russian digital company over the past 25 years, could default in a matter of days. The company warned about this risk today even though none of its entities, main shareholders, directors or managers have been targeted by western sanctions. The threat originates in the fact that, this past Monday, the …

After Nasdaq stock suspension, Yandex could default on $1.25 billion convertible notes Read More

Russian VC Alexey Solovyov: “In the globalized Russian venture community, the impact of the sanctions will probably be attenuated”

March 1, 2022 March 2, 2022

As the Russian economy seems to be sinking as a result of the western sanctions, Alexey Solovyov, a figure of the Russian venture scene, has a nuanced analysis of the impact on his industry. From a deal cancelled to the disruption of an essential banking service, the crisis has already affected his firm and portfolio …

Russian VC Alexey Solovyov: “In the globalized Russian venture community, the impact of the sanctions will probably be attenuated” Read More

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