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

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

Yandex top executive quits after surprise EU sanctions

March 19, 2022

The head of Russia’s top technology firm Yandex quit late Tuesday after being slapped with EU sanctions in response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Brussels hit Yandex executive director and deputy CEO Tigran Khudaverdyan with an asset freeze and travel ban earlier in the day, citing the firm’s role in “hiding information” from the Russian …

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

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

Russian serial entrepreneur builds “hyperplanes” for “global hyperexpress delivery in under two hours”

February 16, 2022

Can you imagine cargo being shipped between Europe and Australia in just a couple of hours using clean liquid hydrogen fuel? A few months after his SPAC misfortune, serial entrepreneur Mikhail Kokorich — whom his PR team describes as being “like Russia’s Elon Musk” — claims this will soon come true. His new company Destinus is building a hydrogen-powered, zero-emissions, transcontinental cargo drone.  With hypersonic …

Russian serial entrepreneur builds “hyperplanes” for “global hyperexpress delivery in under two hours” Read More

16-year-old sentenced to five years in prison over plot to blow up virtual FSB building in video game

February 12, 2022

This Thursday, a Russian military court handed down sentences for terrorism to three teenagers from the Siberian town of Kansk. The boys were arrested in the summer of 2020 for posting leaflets with political slogans on the local FSB building. After searching their phones and uncovering a “plot” to blow up a virtual rendering of …

16-year-old sentenced to five years in prison over plot to blow up virtual FSB building in video game Read More

Moscow court lifts US investor Michael Calvey’s restrictions on leaving home

January 25, 2022

The Meshchansky District Court of Moscow has lifted the house arrest restrictions on US citizen Michael Calvey, the founder of top private equity fund Baring Vostok,  three years after his arrest and months in jail.  The courts previously ruled that Calvey was forbidden to leave the house after 8pm, communicate with witnesses outside the framework …

Moscow court lifts US investor Michael Calvey’s restrictions on leaving home Read More

Meet Vladimir Kiriyenko, the new CEO of Russia’s top Internet group VK

January 6, 2022

In mid-December VK Company, a leading Russian Internet group previously known as Mail.ru Group, appointed Vladimir Kiriyenko, the son of a top Kremlin official, as its new chief executive. The LSE-listed group controls Russia’s top social networks (VKontakte and OK) and a variety of other internet businesses. The move followed the takeover of VK by companies affiliated …

Meet Vladimir Kiriyenko, the new CEO of Russia’s top Internet group VK Read More

Irene Shvakman, BNPL pioneer in Eastern Europe: “Clear regulation is needed to maintain online consumers’ trust in delayed payment offers”

March 27, 2024

As Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) has become a popular way for consumers around the globe to settle their purchases, Russia’s Central Bank is seeking to regulate this activity. In this exchange with East-West Digital News,, industry pioneer Irene Shvakman – who co-founded Revo Technologies, Russia’s first BNPL service, even before today’s Western leaders appeared …

Irene Shvakman, BNPL pioneer in Eastern Europe: “Clear regulation is needed to maintain online consumers’ trust in delayed payment offers” Read More

From diamond to unicorn: Aysen Nikolayev, Head of Yakutia, comments on IT developments in world’s coldest region

February 3, 2022

Geographers know Yakutia (also called Republic of Sakha) for its low temperatures, commonly dipping below −35 °C in winter, its capital Yakutsk being the world’s coldest large city. Economists and businessmen are aware of its considerable wealths in terms mineral exploitation, with a focus on diamond, gold, and tin ore mining industries. But Yakutia has also engaged on the road to technology development, with notable achievements in terms …

From diamond to unicorn: Aysen Nikolayev, Head of Yakutia, comments on IT developments in world’s coldest region Read More

Former US citizen and Ulmart co-owner August Meyer arrested in St. Petersburg

December 16, 2021

August Meyer, co-owner of cosmetics chain Rive Gauche and former co-owner of now defunct online retail Ulmart — was arrested Wednesday last week in St. Petersburg. Meyer and his wife, Inna Meyer, are suspected of embezzling 2.4 billion rubles ($32.6 million at the current exchange rate) from state-owned bank Sberbank on the pretext of developing Ulmart shortly …

Former US citizen and Ulmart co-owner August Meyer arrested in St. Petersburg Read More

Russian state strengthens control over leading Internet group VK

December 3, 2021

Russia’s Gazprom is gaining control of VK Company, the LSE-listed Russian Internet major (previously known as Mail.ru Group), as a result of a string of deals to buy out Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov from the company. These transactions will increase state control over the group, which owns in particular the country’s leading social networks Vkontakte …

Russian state strengthens control over leading Internet group VK Read More

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