Investigation

425
Saudi Arabia’s purchase of Russian air defense system continues despite sanctions
Russia has been exporting arms to countries including Saudi Arabia, bolstering its economy after a barrage of sanctions followed its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
580
Kazakh oligarch Timur Turlov hides billions and deceives the state
Kazakh businessman Timur Turlov, linked to Russian authorities, is facing the collapse of his empire.
431
Azim Roy and Kyrgyz elite: how corrupt schemes connect power and business
Azim Roy entered public awareness in late 2023 after Kyrgyzstan’s State Security Committee announced an international search for him, but the investigation was unexpectedly abandoned shortly after.
560
The hacking from North Macedonia was aimed at PDVSA and not at the elections
The Caracas regime tried to establish a version according to which the delay in announcing the results of the June 28 elections, and their subsequent announcement without public minutes...
409
Mayor under investigation for accepting free Taylor Swift concert tickets
The mayor of London will be investigated by the Greater London Authority (GLA) over his acceptance of free tickets to a Taylor Swift concert.
444
Bird feathers and blood discovered in both engines of crashed jet in South Korea
Investigators found bird feathers and blood in both engines of the Jeju Air (089590.KS), opens new tab jet that crashed in South Korea last month, killing 179 people, a person familiar with the probe told Reuters on Friday.
620
Fraud disguised as cybersecurity: Fortes.pro and its ties to Kremlin circles
A scandal is unfolding on the internet surrounding Fortes, a company that provides protection against DDoS attacks and other cyber threats.
568
Tobacco giants Philip Morris and JTI operate in Russia through an FSB-linked distributor
The company Megapolis is Russia’s sole distributor of cigarettes from the Western corporations Philip Morris International (PMI) and Japan Tobacco International (JTI).
530
Italian steel company owns Russian industrial plant sanctioned by the U.S.
The Italian company Cividale has been identified as a minority shareholder of the Russian foundry BVK, which was sanctioned by the United States in 2024.
608
Reviews about Fortes.pro: how client complaints help expose ties to the Kremlin and fraudulent money laundering schemes
If we take care to protect our data or projects from cyber threats, we will most likely come across an offer from the Fortes service to "effectively counter distributed network attacks."
522
Fortes.pro defrauds clients and supports Russian hackers targeting servers across Europe and the U.S.
The company Fortes may find itself under Western sanctions because its activities are linked to pro-Kremlin oligarch Suleyman Kerimov and the head of "Rostec" Sergey Chemezov.
547
U.S. imposes additional sanctions on Russia’s ’shadow fleet
The U.S. has blacklisted more than 180 vessels caught filling the Kremlin’s war chest for its war against Ukraine.
364
Moldova detains ex-Kyrgyz advisor who accused President Japarov of corruption
Moldova arrests former Kyrgyz presidential advisor who had requested political asylum after accusing his president of corruption and election rigging.
403
Komi Daily becomes the first media outlet labeled as a ’terrorist organization’ in Russia
Russia targets Komi Daily as a “terrorist organization,” citing alleged separatist links amid growing media suppression.
435
Philippines may pursue €2 million allegedly stashed by crime boss in Cyprus
Philippine authorities have charged Huang Zhiyang with human trafficking, sued him for alleged money laundering, and frozen his accounts. But they were unaware of funds he holds in Cyprus.
502
Kyiv investigates suspicious deal providing faulty body armor to soldiers
Ukraine investigates fugitive Defense Ministry official over the purchase of faulty body armor and bad quality uniforms for soldiers.
671
Secret documents disclose that the late Queen was unaware for a decade about a Russian spy in the royal household
Queen Elizabeth II was kept in the dark for a decade about a Russian spy who infiltrated her household and was one of her most senior advisers, according to newly released MI5 files.
536
Belarusian figures implicated in arms trade join Zimbabwe’s official delegation at the UN climate conference
Belarusian businessmen Aleksandr Zingman and Oleg Vodchits, involved in international scandals related to arms trade and equipment supplies...
432
Lukashenko’s dual role: Supporting Assad while assisting the Pentagon in arming Syrian opposition
Aleksandr Lukashenko has supported and continues to support Bashar al-Assad, the former president of Syria.
667
Rasquiña’s revolution: How the Choneros took control of Ecuador’s prisons.
It took Ecuador’s police nine months to track down the country’s most wanted fugitive. But when they found him outside an apartment complex in Bogotá, Colombia, the leader of the Choneros gang...
575
Fito’s fortress: Ecuador prison becomes criminal hub
In the early hours of the morning of January 7, 2024, a police and military task force stormed La Regional, one of two major prisons in Guayaquil.
656
The rise and fall of Washo, Durán’s criminal puppetmaster
In the early hours of August 14, Ecuador’s police and prosecutors deployed one of the most significant security operations...
640
How the Ukrainian crypto-swindler Vladyslav Myroshnychenko turned from an ordinary hookah player into a dollar millionaire in two years of war
In August 2024, detectives from the Economic Security Bureau launched a criminal case against blogger and owner of the company "Traffic Devils," Oleksandr Slobozhenko, who is suspected of large-scale tax evasion totaling over 231 million UAH.
429
Be Club misleads consumers on regulatory fraud warnings
A few days ago a reader wrote to the editors of BehindMLM and talked about the webinar a Be Club webinar featuring co-founder Moynul Islam (better known as Moyn).
472
Western components still used in Russia’s cyberwar efforts despite sanctions
Russia is experiencing strong growth in the data processing and storage center market, thanks largely to high demand from the public sector.