International

Dutch high-tech sector unconsciously supplies technology to Russia

October 30, 2022

Dutch high-tech companies unknowingly sell their technology to firms founded by the Russian military intelligence service. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense confirms this after statements about this by Jan Swillens, head of the Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD). He warns in the FD that the Dutch high-tech sector is unwittingly supplying crucial …

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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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Playrix fully withdraws from Russia and Belarus, keeps operating in Ukraine

October 30, 2022

Playrix today announced it is fully withdrawing from Russia and Belarus, “due to the continued aggression against Ukraine and in order to maintain its operations.” The Russian-founded global mobile gaming giant will “close all the company’s offices” and “shut down all operations of its studios” in Russia and Belarus. The remaining staff will be “relocated from Russia and Belarus …

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Silicon Valley billionaire Yuri Milner renounces Russian citizenship

October 26, 2022

Billionaire Silicon Valley investor Yuri Milner said Monday he had renounced his Russian citizenship. “My family and I left Russia for good in 2014, after the Russian annexation of Crimea. And this summer, we officially completed the process of renouncing our Russian citizenship,” the Moscow-born Milner tweeted. Milner, founder of the internet investment firm DST Global and …

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EU bans crypto services for Russians in new sanctions over Ukraine escalation

October 7, 2022

The Council of the European Union has announced new sanctions against Russia on the backdrop of the deepening military conflict in Ukraine. The new measures include a full ban on the provision of wallet, account, or custody services for crypto assets to Russian persons and residents.  The measure will apply regardless of the value of these assets, according to …

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VK sells its international gaming division in fear of sanctions

October 6, 2022

Last week VK Company, one of Russia’s top Internet companies, announced the sale of its international gaming division My.Games to Alexander Chachava, Managing Partner of Russian venture firm LETA Capital.  The deal includes 100% of the shares and assets of My.Games, including its studios and game products.  The deal valued My.Games at $642 million — some …

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Where’s funding going in former Soviet states? Not Russia

September 27, 2022

When the Soviet Union splintered into separate nations in the early 1990s, it contained exactly zero hubs for venture-backed tech startups. Three decades later, of course, the picture is quite different. Metro areas in multiple former Soviet countries now have a rich concentration of tech founders. Capital has followed. But as one might expect, geopolitics …

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Banks from six countries suspend Russia’s MIR cards amid US pressure and Ukrainian hacker attacks

November 18, 2024

The international acceptance of MIR, Russia’s answer to Visa and Mastercard, shrunk dramatically last week as major banks from Armenia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Vietnam announced the suspension of such transactions. These announcements came soon after the US authorities warned banks outside the US that supporting MIR transactions could expose them to the risk …

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Putin grants Edward Snowden Russian citizenship

September 26, 2022

President Vladimir Putin on Monday granted Russian citizenship to U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden, who exposed massive surveillance by the U.S. National Security Agency and was granted refuge by Moscow. A presidential decree published Monday included Edward Joseph Snowden born June 21, 1983, on a list of newly-minted Russian citizens, at a time when relations between …

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YouTube used increasingly in Russia mainly for entertainment purposes

September 20, 2022

According to Mediascope data (cited by Kommersant), Russians spent more time on YouTube in the first six months of 2022 than previously. They spent on average about 84 minutes per day on the site in this period, then 87 minutes in July and 88 minutes in August. Among the reasons for this trend could be news fatigue and a desire for …

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How parallel import provides Russians with Apple’s latest iPhone

September 28, 2022

The iPhone 14 went on sale in US stores Friday. Even though the company’s flagship product is not officially available in Russia, it will still reach the country via the so-called parallel imports scheme. Moreover, a strong ruble means there has reportedly been a significant uptick in pre-orders of the iPhone 14. There are even …

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