International trade with Crimea ongoing despite sanctions

After Russian troops occupied the Crimean peninsula two years ago, the Kyiv government moved to block trade at all commercial ports—a move that was later supported by the European Union (EU), the US, and other countries.

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Serbia: Controversial Minister Loncar to Be Reappointed

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic announced Monday plans to keep in place controversial Health Minister Zlatibor Loncar, despite reporting by an OCCRP partner showing dealings connecting him to organized crime.

Zlatibor Loncar (Photo: Dragana Peco)

Read more: Serbia: Controversial Minister Loncar to Be Reappointed

Dirty Money Laundered to Reinvest in Moldovan Banks

Between 2013 and 2015, more than US$ 13 million in dirty money from a giant Russia- centered money laundering scheme, dubbed the Russian Laundromat, flowed back into Moldova to buy shares in the country’s largest bank, Moldova Agroindbank (MAIB).

Read more: Dirty Money Laundered to Reinvest in Moldovan Banks

The Secret of the St. Princess Olga

In 2013, Oceanco, one of the top yacht builders in the Netherlands, launched a top-of-the-line creation, an 85.6 meter super-yacht with the designation Y708.

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Making a Killing

Central and Eastern European governments have directed an unprecedented flow of weapons and ammunition to four key backers of Syria’s armed opposition since the escalation of the bloody civil war in 2012.

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The Moldovan Banking Wars

Banker Veaceslav Platon, a former parliamentarian detained in Kyiv on Monday for allegedly taking part in the theft of US$ 1 billion from three Moldovan banks and laundering billions through others, spent the months leading up to his arrest trying to take over yet another Moldovan bank, RISE Moldova has learned.

Banker Veaceslav Platon

Read more: The Moldovan Banking Wars

Kremlin trolls target the Magnitsky Act and Khodorkovsky

Reporters for OCCRP have found evidence that pro-Kremlin agents are using an online petition tool on www.whitehouse.gov, a US presidential website, in an attempt to covertly influence US policy.

A closer look at the effort gives a better understanding how trolls are used to propagandize Russian citizens with misinformation about the West.

Read more: Kremlin trolls target the Magnitsky Act and Khodorkovsky

Threats to OCCRP Partner KRIK: "You Should be Lined up and Shot"

Threats against independent journalists are fairly common in Serbia. But a recent barrage of online harassment against OCCRP partner the Crime and Corruption Reporting Network (KRIK) – including death threats – raises serious concerns about the freedom of the press in the country.

A front page of Serbian tabloid Informer attacking KRIK

Read more: Threats to OCCRP Partner KRIK: "You Should be Lined up and Shot"

Analysis: Brexit, UK upheaval threatens anti-corruption efforts

On May 12, 2016, David Cameron convened an anti-corruption summit with politicians, officials and civil society organizations to agree on how to fight corruption and improve accountability.

Secretary Kerry Joins British Prime Minister on Panel at Anti-Corruption Summit (Photo by: IIP Photo Archive)

Read more: Analysis: Brexit, UK upheaval threatens anti-corruption efforts

SOCAR’s Turkish Partner Wins Massive No-Bid Construction Projects

Azerbaijan's state-owned energy company, SOCAR, likes Turkey’s Tekfen Construction and Installation building company so much, it tried to buy into it in 2008.

Construction on Baku Olympic Stadium was classified by the government as an urgent project, so single-source procurement was allowed. (Photo Credit: OCCRP)

Read more: SOCAR’s Turkish Partner Wins Massive No-Bid Construction Projects