Russia’s use of cryptocurrencies to circumvent sanctions

After the outbreak of a full-scale war in Ukraine in 2022, Russia faced unprecedented sanctions pressure. Restrictions have affected key areas of the Russian economy such as the international financial sector, oil and gas exports, and access to global capital markets. Under these conditions, Moscow began to look for new...

Dark finance: oil traders fueling Russia’s «shadow» fleet

For observers who monitor the activities of the Russian tanker fleet, which is often called the "shadow one," an interesting question remains: the effectiveness of the sanctions imposed in this area by the US, the European Union, and other jurisdictions. You can often hear about tankers transporting Russian oil changing...

Silent war of the Russian secret services in Europe

The last four years have been marked by a significant increase in the activities of Russian intelligence services throughout Europe. The entire spectrum of hybrid operations is recorded, ranging from agent recruitment to critical infrastructure sabotage and cyber attack. These processes became especially noticeable after 2022, when the full-scale invasion...

Unlicensed export. The dark side of Russia’s weapons business

Russia is one of the world’s largest arms exporters. Officially, contracts for deliveries of military equipment are signed with dozens of countries and annual turnover runs into billions of dollars. But behind the façade of legal exports there are frequent reports of clandestine shipments to criminal, paramilitary, or terrorist organizations....

Shadow of the Kremlin’s on the Eiffel Tower. The Russian influence on French politics, economy and society

Until recently, Russia’s presence in France was perceived largely as part of cultural exchange and economic cooperation. However, after the annexation of Crimea in 2014, and especially following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, it has increasingly been associated with destabilisation, covert pressure, and a threat to democratic institutions....