Greetings from Sarajevo,

Today’s newsletter highlights an OCCRP investigation that provides a glimpse of life during the brutal Russian occupation of the Kyiv suburb of Bucha. Another documents the European travels of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s daughter. We also exposed the activities of a grifter who managed to become a frequent guest at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. 

But first, here’s a story we broke along with our German media partners 🇩🇪

On Tuesday, German officials raided a network of companies suspected of selling substances to Russia that could be used to manufacture chemical and biological weapons.

The key German company in the network is called Riol Chemie GmbH. It allegedly shipped chemicals that could be used to make weapons to Russia’s Chimmed Group, which has done business with the FSB, the Kremlin’s intelligence agency.

Documents obtained by reporters reveal additional connections between 🇩🇪 Riol Chemie and 🇷🇺 Chimmed Group.

• A former managing director of 🇩🇪 Riol Chemie used to be co-owner of the same 🇷🇺 Chimmed Group subsidiary that received chemical shipments under investigation by German authorities.

• A current managing director of 🇩🇪 Riol Chemie was previously a director of the same 🇷🇺 Russian subsidiary.

Now, here’s the latest on global corruption:

NEW INVESTIGATIONS

🇺🇦 What Was it Like to Survive the Occupation of Bucha? After Russia invaded this Kyiv suburb, the residents of an apartment building suddenly found themselves across the street from a Russian military camp after the invading soldiers commandeered a glassware factory. 

Our reporting provides a glimpse of the day-to-day reality of living — and dying — under Russian occupation. Read the full story.
 

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🇺🇸 A Grifter in Mar-a-Lago — “Anna de Rothschild” was invited to Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in May 2021, where she mingled with American political luminaries and even posed for a photo with the former president under the guise that she was a member of the European banking dynasty. 

But she was no Rothschild. Her real name is Inna Yashchyshyn, a self-confessed grifter who’s under investigation for fraudulent activity in the United States and Canada. Read the full story.

🌐 The Big Picture: This investigation raises questions about the security and vetting process at Trump’s Florida home, where the former president kept classified documents that were recently seized by the FBI.

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🇪🇺 Putin’s Daughter Travels Europe — Katerina Tikhonova, daughter of Vladimir Putin, used the presidential security service during her travels to London, Milan, and Munich, where her romantic partner lives. 

Under Russian law, members of the president’s family should be protected by his bodyguards only when they are living or traveling with him. Read the full story.

🌐 The Big Picture: Tikhonova traveled to Europe even as top Russian officials criticized the decadence of the West. Putin himself recently denounced Russians who “are located [in the West] mentally” as national traitors. 

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🇵🇾 ATM Skimmers in Paraguay and Brazil — The Romanian ATM-skimming syndicate we dubbed the “Riviera Maya Gang” in a previous award-winning investigation appears to have operations in Paraguay, where an alleged member of the group is under house arrest. Read the full story.

🌐 The Big Picture: This investigation shows how the gang expanded its skimming operations into Paraguay, and used proxies to invest its loot into real estate in neighboring Brazil. The properties are believed to be the hidden assets of the gang’s leader Florian Tudor, aka “The Shark.”

DEEP DIVE INTO CORRUPTION

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan Loses Transparency — OCCRP has published multiple award-winning investigations into corruption in Kyrgyzstan, which is considered Central Asia’s most democratic country and has a flourishing culture of investigative journalism. 

Unfortunately, the government has taken dramatic steps to limit transparency, leaving citizens and journalists — including those in the OCCRP network — with fewer resources to expose corruption. Read the full analysis.

THE OCCRP CALENDAR

📜 Launching a New Journalist Manual: We’re preparing to publish "¡Sigan el dinero!”, a free Spanish-language guide that helps investigative journalists follow the money in 19 Latin American countries, as well as the United States, Belize, and the British Virgin Islands.

You can register here to get a copy on September 7. 

🎥 Milan Film Festival: Our documentary The Killing of A Journalist –– which reveals the organized crime and corruption behind the murder of our Slovakian colleague –– will be screened at the prestigious Visioni dal Mondo film festival in Milan on Sept. 16.   

🏆 Allard Prize: OCCRP’s Central European Editor Pavla Holcová is a finalist for the Allard Prize, awarded to those who uphold human rights and fight corruption. 

The winner will be announced in a virtual ceremony on Oct. 19, 2022 at 12pm PDT.