An online journal on Russian affairs. На русском @RidlRussia
Joined May 2015
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Riddle Russia retweeted
What does Putin want from the #SCO after 2022?
Not an anti-Western alliance—at least not yet. Moscow wants diplomatic visibility, sanctions resistance, and a stage for its multipolarity narrative.
But the SCO gives Russia much less than the Kremlin hoped.
1/4
Riddle Russia retweeted
U.S. sanctions relief is giving Russia breathing room on oil exports — and quietly testing the credibility of the whole Western sanctions regime. How bad is it?
Thread 1/9
The less consistent sanctions policy becomes, the harder it is to sustain their effect. For some, the prospect of relief may become an incentive to resume trade with Russia; others will continue to be deterred by legal and financial risks.
ridl.io/a-sanctions-reprieve…
Russia wanted SCO after 2022 to prove it wasn’t isolated, push multipolarity and lock in anti-sanctions solidarity. It got summits and rhetoric. It didn’t get a unified Ukraine position or new institutions. China’s weight and member divisions set limits ridl.io/the-sco-after-2022-r…
Riddle Russia retweeted
The Kremlin isn’t tightening its own belt. It’s taking one to the public. Siluanov elevated, taxes rising, rates stuck at 14%, and no growth tailwind into 2027. @ntrickett16's @RiddleRussia weekly economic note.
ridl.io/reaching-for-the-bel…
Siluanov is back as deputy PM. Taxes are going up. The Bank of Russia sees inflation stuck high. @ntrickett16 on why “belt-tightening” now means the state squeezing households and business harder.
ridl.io/reaching-for-the-bel…
For now, the government reshuffle suggests that Vladimir Putin has not abandoned his ultra-conservative personnel policy and that stagnation in the power vertical persists.
ridl.io/a-prime-minister-wit…
Riddle Russia retweeted
#Serbia votes Oct 25 in snap parliamentary elections. Almost two years of student protests (sparked by the Novi Sad canopy collapse) have challenged Vučić’s long rule. Russia has clear stakes in the outcome.
1/10
Riddle Russia retweeted
This Hungarian position will be recurring.
Magyar unblocked the accession process, but he was quite straightforward about the long negotiation process with Ukraine.
The replacement of Orban with Magyar was misinterpreted as a faster accession process for Ukraine.
We, at @RiddleRussia, warned about having huge expectations regarding the “de-Orbanisation” of Hungary’s foreign policy.
ridl.io/de-orbanisation-of-h…
Riddle Russia retweeted
My latest article: “Russian stakes in Serbia’s elections: ‘coloured revolution’ narrative versus ‘balancing act’”.
Signed for @RiddleRussia
ridl.io/russian-stakes-in-se…
Denis Cenusa on how Moscow’s disinformation and energy leverage aim to keep Vučić in power and Serbia from becoming ‘another Hungary’
ridl.io/russian-stakes-in-se…
What is wrong with the EU’s personal sanctions policy toward Russia?
And what could be done to make it better.
@Aivengo96 explains
ridl.io/sanctions-without-in…
Riddle Russia retweeted
Can you trust reporting that is based on "Kremlin sources say"?
ridl.io/fear-and-rumors-in-t…
Riddle Russia retweeted
Can we trust Kremlin sources? 🧵
Putin’s talks with Trump remain a bit of a black box—so leaks fill the gap. The latest: Putin supposedly wants peace but fears elites and the public would “kill him” if he conceded.
1/4
Riddle Russia retweeted
Key Russian political events of the week:
Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin (record 3rd term) proposed KPIs for parliamentary committee chairs.
Indicators would cover oversight of state programs. Underperformers could face disciplinary action or removal.
1/6
Can you trust reporting that is based on "Kremlin sources say"?
ridl.io/fear-and-rumors-in-t…
Riddle Russia retweeted
Check out @RiddleRussia series "Transformed by War: Russia’s Partners Since 2022", now with 17 articles: Turkey, Germany, Belarus, BRICS, Tajikistan, North Korea, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Transnistria, China, Iran, Venezuela, Africa, Israel, Armenia, Gulf states, Kyrgyzstan
1/2
Riddle Russia retweeted
Sber’s brand is valued at ₽2.35 trillion ($28.0 billion USD) by BrandLab—about 37% of the bank’s market cap and nearly four times higher than Brand Finance’s earlier estimate.
What do these numbers actually show about Russia’s corporate landscape? And what can’t they tell us?
#sanctions
Thread 1/4
BrandLab ranks Sber at ₽2.35T (37% of market cap)—far above prior international estimates.
What these brand numbers reveal about Russia’s corporate landscape, and what they can’t tell you: ridl.io/what-russia-s-brand-…
