Digital services & Apps

Naspers sells Russian classifieds giant Avito to Russian investor

October 31, 2022

Naspers affiliate Prosus has sold Avito, the Russian classifieds giant, for 151 billion rubles ($2.46 billion at the current exchange), to Kismet Capital Group. The transaction, which was announced in mid-October, was closed earlier this week, reported news agencies. A consortium of banks, headed by Russian Agricultural Bank, organized financing for the transaction, Kismet said.  Avito was valued at $3.85 …

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From Yandex to RT: Russia expands presence in Serbia amid Ukraine war

September 13, 2022

The lavishly decorated main entrance of Serbia’s baroque-style parliament building was barely visible behind a sea of protest tents and a makeshift stage adorned with billboards. One of them featured the face of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov alongside the caption “the world’s greatest diplomat.” “We are the same people,” one of the protesters, a smiling …

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Moscow business school develops pioneering solution for remote courses

July 14, 2022

Russian edtech has been growing fast over the past years, as witnessed by variety of solutions developed in the country. One of the latest examples is an immersive online-offline platform for remote courses, which was presented earlier this month by the Moscow State University Business School (MSUBS). Touting this solution as a “unique digital model” …

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How the war in Ukraine led Yandex into a trap

August 5, 2022

All Russian businesses have been affected by the fallout from the war and Western sanctions, but “perhaps the most dramatic events have unfolded at Yandex,” writes TheBell, a respected Russian online publication, in its English edition. While founder Arkady Volozh and head Tigran Khudaverdyan were sanctioned by the European Union, “compromises with the authorities have …

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State fund invests 520 million rubles in edtech platform Profilum

July 6, 2022

Earlier this month VEB Ventures, the venture arm of state-owned development corporation VEB.RF, announced a 520 million ruble investment (some $6.5 million at the pre-war exchange rate) in edtech platform Profilum. This deal was one of the most sizeable ones of the past months on the local venture scene, which has entered a semi-hibernation phase since …

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Russian court fines Google $260,000 for breaching data rules

June 20, 2022

A Moscow court on Thursday said it had fined Alphabet’s Google 15 million roubles ($260,000) for repeatedly failing to comply with a Russian law requiring technology companies to localise user data. Russia has issued multiple fines to foreign technology companies in recent years over a range of infringements, in what critics say is Moscow’s attempt …

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VK Company and Vladimir Potanin eye Avito as Naspers seeks to sell Russian digital assets

June 17, 2022

VK Company, a Kremlin-controlled Russian Internet giant, is seeking to acquire the leading local classifieds platform Avito, which is owned by Naspers affiliate Prosus.  Prosus could also sell its 25.7% stake in VK Company, reported the Russian media  citing Bloomberg. Russian oligarch Vladimir Potanin is also regarded as a potential acquirer of Avito, according to the …

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Toxic assets: How Yandex became part of Russia’s censorship machine

June 5, 2022

In late April, Russian Internet giant Yandex announced it was selling its news service, Yandex.News, and its personal recommendations service, Yandex.Zen, to VK Company, which is controlled by the Kremlin. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, these products (just like Yandex overall) have faced a barrage of criticism for misleading millions of users by withholding credible information …

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Google denies removing blurring for Russia’s military sites

April 20, 2022

Google Maps denied reports Monday that it had made Russia’s strategic facilities visible to users, allegedly revealing details of the country’s military infrastructure.  Satellite images of military facilities are sometimes blurred by Google Maps, or displayed in lower quality, to protect their classified status.   “We haven’t made any blurring changes to our satellite imagery in Russia,” Google …

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Will Yandex sell its news and infotainment services?

April 20, 2022

In mid-March Yandex, the Russian online search giant — also running a variety of other digital services — announced it intended to sell its news aggregation service and infotainment platform ‘Zen.’ The move was possibly linked to the government’s crackdown on free expression. Amid the war on Ukraine, a new law had banned what the authorities consider to be “false” …

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