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” …
Will Yandex sell its news and infotainment services? Read More
Virtual private networks (VPNs) are more in use than ever in Russia as a number of social networks and media have been made inaccessible by the authorities. Mobile operator Yota reports that the proportion of its subscribers using VPN services grew 38-fold, reaching 22.8% of the total number of Yota clients, from Jan. 1 to …
VPN use skyrockets as Russia blocks popular social networks and media resources Read More
The United States said on Wednesday that it had secretly removed malware from computer networks around the world in recent weeks, a step to pre-empt Russian cyberattacks and send a message to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. The move, made public by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, comes as U.S. officials warn that Russia …
How US secretly removed malware worldwide, pre-empting Russian cyberattacks Read More
Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment Company has suspended its investments in Russia due to the Ukraine crisis, one of its top executive said last week. “What is happening in this crisis between Russia and Ukraine is a travesty, with catastrophic consequences, in terms of human life and in terms of the impact it’s having on economies all …
Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund suspends investments in Russia Read More
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
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
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 …
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 …
Yandex top executive quits after surprise EU sanctions Read More
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
Financial services firms including those in the cryptoasset sector were warned by Britain’s regulatory bodies on Friday that they were expected to ensure sanctions imposed against entities and individuals in Russia and Belarus were complied with. “We are working closely with partners in government and law enforcement both here and abroad, including regulatory authorities, to …
Cryptoasset sector told by UK regulators to comply with Russian sanctions Read More
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
As Western powers began cutting off its access to the SWIFT interbank payment system, Russia could turn to cryptocurrency to bypass sanctions. This Monday Sergey Glazyev, a former Russian minister and advisor to President Putin, made this suggestion in an interview to Russian TV channel RBC. Cryptocurrencies can become an alternative for settlements with Western countries, allowing Russia to continue …
Russia weighs pros and cons of using crypto to evade Western sanctions Read More
