Russian e-scooter leader Urent secures $26 million from corporate and venture investors

February 22, 2022

Urent, Russia’s largest electric scooter rental operator, has raised 2.09 billion rubles (around $26 million, a considerable amount by local standards) in a round led by MTS. The mobile operator contributed 740 million rubles alongside private asset manager VPE Capital and state-owned fund VEB Ventures, which injected 700 and 650 million rubles, respectively, into the startup. The terms of …

Russian e-scooter leader Urent secures $26 million from corporate and venture investors Read More

White House: US unlikely to kick Russia off SWIFT

February 22, 2022

The US said Friday it will “probably not” try to kick Russia out of the SWIFT financial messaging system should Moscow invade Ukraine. Washington has threatened to levy “severe” sanctions on Moscow in the event it attacks Ukraine, promising a package of measures that could “devastate” the Russian economy. “All options remain on the table. …

White House: US unlikely to kick Russia off SWIFT Read More

After cyberattack on Ukraine, western allies point at Russia but have no detailed response plan

February 20, 2022

“The largest DDoS attack in Ukraine’s history,” according to the digital transformation minister Mykhailo Fyodorov, took place this past Tuesday, Feb. 15 — just one month after a previous attack.  The attack targeted the websites of the defense ministry and armed forces as well as two of Ukraine’s two largest banks – PrivatBank and Oschadbank. Starting at 3pm that day, …

After cyberattack on Ukraine, western allies point at Russia but have no detailed response plan Read More

Russian entrepreneurs want to disrupt delivery, freight and mobility industries across the world

February 18, 2022

While asserting themselves as chief disruptors in the food delivery industry — fulfilling orders in 15 minutes in cities of Europe (e.g. Jiffy) and North America (e.g. Buyk) — Russian startup entrepreneurs are also penetrating neighboring segments. From urban delivery, to mobility, to local or international freight, some of them receive generous support from VCs, as illustrated by four recent deals. …

Russian entrepreneurs want to disrupt delivery, freight and mobility industries across the world Read More

Tinkoff introduces Russia’s first digital mortgage loans

February 17, 2022

Tinkoff’s mortgage loan offering is the first of its kind in Russia: the process will take place entirely online, from paperwork to credit issuance. Since Tinkoff has always been branchless, customers will not need to visit a brick-and-mortar location at any stage of the transaction, including when applying for electronic signatures.  First, Tinkoff customers will be …

Tinkoff introduces Russia’s first digital mortgage loans Read More

X5 Group teams up with Plug and Play to bring more sustainability to Russian retail

February 16, 2022

X5 Retail Group, a leading Russian food retailer listed on the Moscow and London stock exchanges, is launching an international joint program with Plug and Play to scout for innovative approaches to sustainable development. The program will focus on reducing waste and greenhouse gas emissions as well as sustainable packaging. It will start in the …

X5 Group teams up with Plug and Play to bring more sustainability to Russian retail Read More

Report: Large share of global crypto crime comes from Russia

February 17, 2022

In a preview of its 2022 Crypto Crime Report, Chainalysis says that, overall, “roughly 74% of ransomware revenue in 2021 — over $400 million worth of cryptocurrency — went to strains we can say are highly likely to be affiliated with Russia in some way.” Platforms operating mainly on the Russian crypto market launder the bulk of extorted funds, …

Report: Large share of global crypto crime comes from Russia 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

Yandex eyes $6.5 billion revenue in 2022, sharp e-commerce growth

February 18, 2022

Russian internet giant Yandex on Tuesday reported a sharp drop in adjusted annual net profit, but said total revenue could surge this year to around $6.5 billion, driven in part by high turnover growth in e-commerce. Yandex’s core advertising business, which accounted for 47% of total revenue in the fourth quarter of 2021, suffered during the …

Yandex eyes $6.5 billion revenue in 2022, sharp e-commerce growth Read More

Decarbonization: Russian scientists bet on AI while government sets meagre country goals

February 17, 2022

Sber, Russia’s state-controlled financial and digital giant (previously known as Sberbank), and the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech), intend to develop software program to “evaluate the carbon balance drawing on remote sensing of the Earth.” The program aims to “facilitate the comprehensive analysis [which is] required [to make] effective decarbonization decisions and design …

Decarbonization: Russian scientists bet on AI while government sets meagre country goals 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

How Russian authorities invest in domestic alternatives to YouTube

February 12, 2022

The Russian authorities have been sinking money into domestic alternatives to YouTube for over a year, says a new investigation from iStories and Agentstvo. Allegedly, these Russian video platforms are meant to serve as substitutes in the event that Russia’s censorship agency bans YouTube altogether. However, sources say the country’s leadership doesn’t believe that anything will come of …

How Russian authorities invest in domestic alternatives to YouTube Read More

Scroll to Top

This site is under maintenance. Sorry for the inconvenience.

This site is under maintenance. Sorry for the inconvenience.