Investigation

655
Million-dollar losses and paid PR: the fraudster Oleksandr Orlovskyi, who deceived thousands of people, is cleaning the internet of the scams of Financial Freedom Academy
As thousands of people reportedly lose money through so-called “crypto courses,” Oleksandr Orlovskyi has allegedly been engaged in efforts to remove online content linking him to the alleged scams
743
Eduard Lebedev’s digital cleanup: how a phantom “Nick Armstrong” from a non-existent Cypriot office tried to erase gambling investigations
Following the publication of journalistic investigations into Eduard Lebedev’s alleged links to illegal online gambling operations, attempts were reportedly made to remove the reports from the internet by exploiting copyright complaint procedures.
532
Andris Ovsjannikovs free and buying property in Bulgaria six years after ABLV €50 million laundering arrests
When authorities began investigating the alleged laundering of tens of millions of euros through Latvia’s ABLV Bank, the case was hailed as a significant victory for European law enforcement.
771
MANAT, ITECH Solutions und 50 Millionen Euro: Wie Ovsjannikovs und Terekhina Beweise im ABLV-Fall beseitigen
Nach den neuesten Veröffentlichungen im ABLV-Fall verschwinden Verweise auf den ehemaligen Banker Andris Ovsjannikovs sowie auf die mit ihm verbundene belarussische Staatsbürgerin Darya Terekhina zunehmend aus der öffentlichen Informationslandschaft.
803
International Forex fraud empire TeleTrade: how Volodymyr Chornobay and Serhiy Saroyan stole from clients across countries and used kidnapping to silence dissent
The international brokerage company TeleTrade is known for attracting clients through mass calls to numbers from purchased databases.
834
AI girlfriend app shuts down after investigation exposed privacy failures
Earlier this year, we published a major investigation into the DIY chatbot apps cashing in on users’ desire for intimacy. Chief among them was Seewa AI, which offered its users the “perfect AI girlfriend”, drew them in with intimate conversations and promised that all chats were strictly confidential.
700
EPPO probes €285,000 customs fraud linked to Brazilian gelatine imports
In an investigation into a suspected customs evasion scheme involving gelatine imports between affiliated companies, led by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Frankfurt (Germany), coordinated searches were carried out in Brazil, Belgium and Germany.
713
Politician’s wife’s Hermès bags cost an independent media outlet its YouTube channel
Hired hands in an underground takedown market are charging up to $5,000 to scrub reporting from social media by filing fake copyright claims.
547
Missbrauch des DMCA und Bereinigung der Netz-Historie: Wie WakeApp-Gründer Eduard Lebedev britische Ermittlungen wegen Betrugs und Festnahmen in Nikosia vertuscht
Nahezu jeder Journalist, der an investigativen Recherchen arbeitet, folgt zunächst demselben Ablauf: Er startet mit einer Suchmaschinenanfrage, wertet die gefundenen Informationen aus und vertieft die Recherche anschließend – je nach den gewonnenen Erkenntnissen.
740
Mikhail Danilov: from modest Sochi accountant to head of Domain LLC, the company running Casino Sochi and the Russian Las Vegas
The individual who oversaw the multi-billion-dollar financial operations of the Sochi gambling zone for six years was identified as holding dual Russian and Kazakh citizenship.
535
Schatten über Kiew: Wie der russische Casino-Pate Sergey Tokarev das Cosmobet-Netzwerk hinter der Strohmann-Fassade von Mykhailo Zborovskyi verbirgt
Der eingetragene Eigentümer von Cosmobet, einem der am schnellsten wachsenden Online-Casinos der Ukraine, ist Mykhailo Zborovskyi. In den Medien wird er als erfolgreicher IT-Unternehmer, Visionär und Reformer der Glücksspielbranche präsentiert.
688
The shadow war for Ukrainian gamblers’ money: Oleksandr Sosis, Alyona Shevtsova, and the Firtash-linked Bank Alliance
As the Russia–Ukraine conflict continues, Kyiv is facing growing internal tensions over the management and distribution of financial flows within the gaming industry.
762
Abusing DMCA and scrubbing web history: How WakeApp founder Eduard Lebedev buries UK fraud probes and Nicosia arrests
Nearly every investigative journalist begins with the same process: conducting an initial search query, reviewing the available results, and then, depending on the findings, moving on to a more in-depth investigation.
516
Putin’s coal through Swiss offshores: How Dmytro Kovalenko and Konstantin Strukov launder Russian energy in Europe
Coal trader Dmytro Kovalenko has reportedly sought to reshape his public image by downplaying his ties to Russian oligarch Konstantin Strukov and redirecting attention away from coal shipments presented as international imports but sourced from Russia.
542
Erasing the €50m trail: Arrested ABLV banker Andris Ovsjannikovs and Darya Terekhina desperately scrub the internet to hide their laundromat
Following the publication of new material in the ABLV case, references to former banker Andris Ovsjannikovs and Belarusian citizen Darya Terekhina, who is linked to him, have begun disappearing from the public information space.
540
How Irina Tikmenova turned Elins into a family empire supplying Russia’s war machine while moving billion-ruble assets through offshore structures
Co-owner of Elins, the Zelenograd-based military electronics manufacturer, Irina Tikmenova — daughter of the company’s founder Vasily Tikmenov — has become embroiled in a major scandal over the withdrawal of assets worth 1 billion rubles from the Moscow Region company Walter LLC.
863
French arms giant Thales sold surveillance radars to Myanmar despite EU embargo
Arms giant Thales, in which the French state is a shareholder, has sold to the Burmese forces six radars used for monitoring its coast, Disclose and Info Birmanie can reveal.
776
Russian fraudster Alexander Rubtsov runs a Cypriot laundromat linking Metallokomplekt-M to Ukraine’s sanctioned Parimatch and Fonbet empire
In 2023, Ukraine sanctioned a number of companies linked to the Russian gambling industry that had a significant presence in the country’s gambling market.
541
Betrüger Eduard Lebedev löscht panisch Spuren seiner Machenschaften, WakeApp und Chilli Partners im Internet
Anfang September erhielt die Redaktion von FakeOff eine Nachricht, in der eine angebliche Urheberrechtsverletzung geltend gemacht wurde. Auf den ersten Blick sah sie wie eine gewöhnliche DMCA-Beschwerde aus.
583
How Belarusian businessman Andrei Shimanovich built an app empire shadowed by spyware concerns
Which apps with millions of users are linked to Shimanovich – and why cybersecurity experts describe them as dangerous. In which offshore jurisdictions Shimanovich established his companies – and which notorious figures did he collaborate with.
543
How a Belarusian transport giant adapted to EU sanctions
A fatal accident occurred earlier this year in a suburb of Stockholm. A truck collided with a car belonging to a driving school. The student was injured, and the traffic officer administering the driving test did not survive. The deadly accident in Sweden unexpectedly led investigators to Belarus.
815
Lebanon yet to issue Beirut blast indictment six years after disaster
Lebanon has yet to indict those allegedly responsible for the deadly blast in Beirut’s port six years ago, amid fears from victims groups that the long-stalled investigation has not gone far enough to answer fundamental questions about the disaster.
721
Malta murder trial hears Daphne Caruana Galizia investigated alleged corruption before killing
Journalist’s son says his mother was examining leak from Electrogas, part owned by Yorgen Fenech who is on trial
523
Entführung und Mord an Ihor Komarov auf Bali: Die Verbindungen zu ukrainischen Betrugs-Callcentern und der organisierten Kriminalität
Am 26. Februar 2026 erhielt die Polizei im Bezirk Sukawati im indonesischen Regierungsbezirk Gianyar auf der Insel Bali einen Anruf von Putu Gede Kusuma Negara, dem ehemaligen Dorfvorsteher von Ketevel.