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Facebook and Instagram say no thanks to Russian journalist Dmitry Kiselyov

February 16, 2016

The Facebook account of Dmitry Kiselyov, one of Russia’s most recognizable news anchors and the head of state-owned news agency Rossiya Segodnya, was deleted just hours after it went live, last week. Kiselyov confirmed in an interview with newspaper Kommersant that the new Facebook account in his name had in fact belonged to him. His first Facebook post appeared on July …

Facebook and Instagram say no thanks to Russian journalist Dmitry Kiselyov Read More

Witch hunt in Russian high tech: Major university fires US executive, international cooperation under threat

February 16, 2016

Earlier this month US citizen Kendrick White, a prominent figure in the Russian tech and venture scene, got involuntarily involved in a witch hunt targeting foreign citizens whose presence in Russia is judged “undesirable” in some political and media circles. While civil high tech coooperation had thus far remained virtually unaffected by the international tensions, …

Witch hunt in Russian high tech: Major university fires US executive, international cooperation under threat Read More

Facebook targets Roskomnadzor official over hate speech

February 17, 2016

Facebook has deleted a post written by Maxim Ksenzov, the deputy head of telecom regulator Roskomnadzor. Notably, Ksenzov is the very same official who warned Facebook back in May that the company will face penalties if it does not hand over traffic statistics for popular Russian Facebook users to the Russian government. While Ksenzov’s page may have …

Facebook targets Roskomnadzor official over hate speech Read More

InVenture Partners analyst Alexander Dadashev: “Russia has once again lost its appeal for international venture capital investors”

August 23, 2017

As a result of the international tensions, Western venture capitalists that traditionally looked at Russia have found themselves in an uncomfortable position over the past year. The Russia label has become a stigma in the eyes of a large part of them, making international funding and development more difficult for local startups. In an exchange with …

InVenture Partners analyst Alexander Dadashev: “Russia has once again lost its appeal for international venture capital investors” Read More

Russian startups mature, but need more tenacity, says Finnish Skolkovo executive

February 24, 2016

Russia’s high-tech startups are getting better by the year, but innovators need to be more persistent to commercialize their solutions, said Pekka Viljakainen, advisor to Skolkovo president Victor Vekselberg. The Finn made the remarks at the final stage of the 2015 edition of the Startup Tour, which has taken in 12 cities and ventured abroad …

Russian startups mature, but need more tenacity, says Finnish Skolkovo executive Read More

Wikimart co-founder and CEO Maxim Faldin: “Virtually all Russian legitimate e-commerce companies are unprofitable”

July 2, 2017

Launched in 2008 by Stanford graduates Maxim Faldin and Kamil Kurmakaev, Wikimart had the initial ambition of creating a Russian analog of eBay. Funded initially by major US investment funds, then by Russian investors, the startup has now become a major marketplace offering its own products alongside nearly 2 million items from over 1,000 merchants. In a recent …

Wikimart co-founder and CEO Maxim Faldin: “Virtually all Russian legitimate e-commerce companies are unprofitable” Read More

Ulmart founder and CEO Sergey Fedorinov: “The context might change for the better before our potential IPO”

February 25, 2016

Starting from scratch in 2008, Ulmart took just five years to assert itself as the leading Russian e-commerce site, generating $1.3 billion in revenues last year in a domestic market that reached or exceeded $17 billion. In spite of the current economic downturn in Russia, Ulmart expects continued growth this year and considers a Western …

Ulmart founder and CEO Sergey Fedorinov: “The context might change for the better before our potential IPO” Read More

Pavel Durov: “The Russian tech environment became much less liberal, losing freedom as one of its competitive advantages”

February 25, 2016

“Facebook is losing traction within the younger generation,” Vkontakte founder and former CEO Pavel Durov told UK magazine Dazed, while Telegram, the messenger which he created in, now attracts 50 million users worldwide. Presenting himself as an advocate of political freedom and tech individualism, Durov also shared his thoughts about Russia’s latest evolutions and his dream …

Pavel Durov: “The Russian tech environment became much less liberal, losing freedom as one of its competitive advantages” Read More

Tomasz Czechowicz of Polish fund MCI: “We believe it’s a time to buy and build in Russia”

February 25, 2016

While several international investors have suspended or reduced activities in Russia, MCI, a major Polish fund, is continuing to invest in the country, among others. Its current Russia portfolio includes KupiVIP, Travelata and Oktogo. In this exchange with East-West Digital News, the fund’s managing partner Tomasz (Janusz) Czechowicz shares his vision of the Russian digital market, and …

Tomasz Czechowicz of Polish fund MCI: “We believe it’s a time to buy and build in Russia” Read More

Russian programmer discusses fitness bracelets and ‘smart watch’ security

April 15, 2015

Roman Unuchek, an expert on mobile threats from the Kaspersky Lab, has been able to break into dozens of fitness bracelets while testing their security. He spoke about his research and the possible consequences for users of the devices on his blog. A special application for mobile devices that employs Bluetooth LE technology is used for …

Russian programmer discusses fitness bracelets and ‘smart watch’ security Read More

Kaspersky shares your computer secrets in weekly sauna meetings with Russian secret service, asserts Bloomberg

February 25, 2016

“The company securing your Internet has close ties to Russian spies,” Bloomberg asserts in a story published last week. The news agency sees a predestination to spying in every milestone of the life of Kaspersky Labs founder and CEO Eugene Kaspersky: “He was educated at a KGB-sponsored cryptography institute, then worked for Russian military intelligence, and in …

Kaspersky shares your computer secrets in weekly sauna meetings with Russian secret service, asserts Bloomberg Read More

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