One of the important objects of concentration by the Russian special services was and remains Britain. This is not only about espionage in the classical sense, Russian special services have also noted high-profile cases related to the physical elimination of persons disliked by the Kremlin. Suffice it to recall one...
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...
Russian «directors» behind the scenes of elections in Eastern Europe
Russia’s attempts to interfere in the electoral processes of other countries are unfortunately not a sensation, but a legitimate process that corresponds to the aggressive position that the Russian leadership has been adopting for quite a long period. In addition to the USA, where attempts by the Kremlin to «participate»...
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....
The Greek maritime business’s powerful ties to Russian oil and the «shadow» fleet
While the “shadow” fleet is the backbone of Russian energy exports, its main customers are mainly India and China, and the EU itself is no longer a key buyer of Russian crude oil and petroleum products, although it should be emphasized that Russian oil still continues to enter the EU...
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....
“Russian roulette” of trading. European companies gamble on the future for deals with Russia
Unsettled times in every era have always provided fertile ground for making profit, even of questionable ethical nature. War, however, most clearly illustrates the principle that all means are fair when it comes to profit. As the saying goes – money has no smell. Although this was never meant in...
Shadow from Crimea: сrimean crews in “shadow” Russian fleet’s service
The activities of the Russian fleet, in particular the tanker one, have traditionally been at the epicenter of many expert studies, but its individual components are still out of focus, and first of all this concerns the provision of these vessels with crews, that is, crewing activities. The importance of...










