Russia

Exxon Held Secret Negotiations With Sanctioned Russian Oil Giant Rosneft Over Sakhalin Return

| Importance: 9/10

Exxon Mobil senior executive Neil Chapman held secret talks with Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin in Doha, Qatar, regarding Exxon’s potential return to the massive Sakhalin-1 oil development project in Russia. The negotiations occurred despite Rosneft being under U.S. sanctions for Russia’s war …

Exxon Mobil Rosneft Vladimir Putin Trump sanctions-evasion foreign-influence corporate-corruption Russia conflicts-of-interest
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Kash Patel Received Payments from Russian Filmmaker with Kremlin Ties

| Importance: 9/10

Trump’s FBI director nominee Kash Patel received a $25,000 payment from Igor Lopatonok’s Global Tree Pictures for a documentary project, raising serious concerns about foreign influence and conflicts of interest. Lopatonok, a Russian national with documented Kremlin connections, has …

Kash Patel Igor Lopatonok Global Tree Pictures FBI Tucker Carlson Network +1 more fbi kremlin foreign-payments russia foreign-influence +2 more
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Trump Administration Disbands Task Force Targeting Russian Oligarchs

| Importance: 9/10

Attorney General Pam Bondi disbanded Task Force KleptoCapture, the DOJ unit created in 2022 to investigate and prosecute Russian oligarchs for sanctions violations. The task force had seized yachts and brought indictments against Deripaska and Malofeyev before being shut down.

Pam Bondi Department of Justice Task Force KleptoCapture Russian Oligarchs russia oligarchs justice-department sanctions money-laundering
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Trump Administration Shuts Down KleptoCapture Task Force

| Importance: 9/10

On February 5, 2025, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the immediate dissolution of the KleptoCapture Task Force, a critical anti-corruption initiative established in 2022 to enforce sanctions on Russian oligarchs following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The shutdown marks a significant …

Pam Bondi Donald Trump Merrick Garland Gary Kalman Aaron Zelinsky +2 more institutional-capture anti-corruption kleptocracy sanctions russia +2 more
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DNI Tulsi Gabbard's Secret Assad Meeting and Russian Ties Alarm Intelligence Allies

| Importance: 9/10

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, confirmed by a narrow 52-48 Senate vote, faces intense scrutiny over her 2017 secret meeting with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and consistent pro-Russia positioning. Her minimal intelligence experience and controversial past have raised significant …

tulsi-gabbard bashar-al-assad Russian Intelligence DNI intelligence-allies +1 more tulsi-gabbard assad russia dni intelligence-community +4 more
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Task Force KleptoCapture Launched: US Expands Anti-Kleptocracy Operations

| Importance: 7/10

Attorney General Merrick Garland establishes Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement unit dedicated to enforcing sanctions and seizing assets of Russian kleptocrats following Ukraine invasion. The initiative represents a major expansion of US anti-corruption enforcement …

Merrick Garland Department of Justice Task Force KleptoCapture Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative kleptocracy sanctions asset-recovery doj russia +2 more
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Task Force KleptoCapture Launched: US Expands Anti-Kleptocracy Operations

| Importance: 8/10

Attorney General Merrick Garland established Task Force KleptoCapture, an unprecedented interagency law enforcement unit dedicated to enforcing sanctions and seizing assets of Russian kleptocrats following the Ukraine invasion. The initiative represents a major expansion of US anti-corruption …

Merrick Garland Andrew Adams Department of Justice FBI U.S. Secret Service +2 more kleptocracy sanctions asset-recovery doj russia +3 more
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Cellebrite Halts Sales to Russia and Belarus After Human Rights Abuse Revelations

| Importance: 8/10

Cellebrite announces it will immediately halt all sales of its digital intelligence solutions and services to customers in the Russian Federation and Belarus, following revelations that its technologies were used by state officials to persecute opposition activists, minority groups, and LGBTQI+ …

Cellebrite Eitay Mack surveillance mobile-forensics human-rights russia belarus +1 more
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Navalny Investigation Reveals Putin's Palace Complex

| Importance: 9/10

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny released a comprehensive investigation exposing a $1.35 billion palace complex allegedly owned by Vladimir Putin on the Black Sea. The investigation, titled ‘Putin’s Palace: History of World’s Largest Bribe,’ revealed a 17,691 square …

Vladimir Putin Alexei Navalny Arkady Rotenberg Boris Rotenberg Gennady Timchenko +3 more corruption russia putin navalny investigation +4 more
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Navalny Investigation Reveals Putin's Palace Complex

| Importance: 9/10

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny released a detailed investigation exposing a lavish palace complex on the Black Sea allegedly built for Vladimir Putin. The investigation, titled ‘Putin’s Palace: History of World’s Largest Bribe,’ detailed a $1.35 billion estate …

Vladimir Putin Alexei Navalny Arkady Rotenberg Boris Rotenberg Gennady Timchenko +1 more corruption russia putin navalny investigation +3 more
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Trump Fires Acting DNI Joseph Maguire After Intelligence Briefing That Russia Prefers Trump in 2020

| Importance: 9/10

President Trump pushed aside Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire on February 20, 2020, after his election security chief Shelby Pierson briefed the House Intelligence Committee on February 13 that Russia was interfering in the 2020 election to aid Trump’s re-election. Trump …

Joseph Maguire Donald Trump Shelby Pierson Richard Grenell Adam Schiff Inspector General Whistleblower Retaliation Obstruction of Justice Accountability Crisis Intelligence Community +2 more
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Fiona Hill Testifies - Giuliani Ran Shadow Ukraine Policy for "Domestic Political Errand"

| Importance: 9/10

Former National Security Council Russia expert Dr. Fiona Hill delivered searing testimony on November 21, 2019, exposing how Rudy Giuliani ran a shadow Ukraine policy for Trump’s “domestic political errand” that undermined U.S. national security and advanced Russian interests. …

Fiona Hill Rudy Giuliani John Bolton Gordon Sondland Donald Trump First Impeachment Ukraine Shadow Diplomacy Russia NSC +1 more
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Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats Resigns After Repeated Conflicts with Trump Over Russia

| Importance: 8/10

President Trump announced via Twitter on July 28, 2019, that Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats would resign effective August 15, ending a tumultuous two-year tenure marked by fundamental conflicts over Russia’s interference in the 2016 election and ongoing threats to American …

Dan Coats Donald Trump John Ratcliffe Vladimir Putin Inspector General Whistleblower Retaliation Obstruction of Justice Accountability Crisis Intelligence Community +1 more
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Senate Votes 98-0 to Reject Putin's Request to Interrogate U.S. Officials in Bipartisan Rebuke of Trump

| Importance: 8/10

In a rare moment of unanimous Senate action, lawmakers voted 98-0 to approve a resolution rejecting Vladimir Putin’s proposal to interrogate U.S. officials—a direct and powerful rebuke of President Trump’s consideration of the Russian offer during the Helsinki summit. The vote …

Vladimir Putin Donald Trump Chuck Schumer Michael McFaul Bill Browder russia trump helsinki senate putin +1 more
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Trump Claims He Misspoke "Would" Instead of "Wouldn't" in Implausible Helsinki Walkback Attempt

| Importance: 8/10

One day after facing fierce bipartisan condemnation for siding with Vladimir Putin over U.S. intelligence agencies, President Donald Trump attempted damage control with an implausible claim that he had simply misspoken a single word during the Helsinki press conference. The walkback was widely …

Donald Trump Vladimir Putin russia trump helsinki election-interference intelligence-agencies
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Trump Sides with Putin Over U.S. Intelligence at Helsinki Summit, Attacks Own Agencies

| Importance: 10/10

In one of the most shocking moments in modern American presidential history, President Donald Trump publicly sided with Russian President Vladimir Putin over his own intelligence agencies during a joint press conference in Helsinki, Finland. Standing next to Putin before a global audience, Trump …

Donald Trump Vladimir Putin Dan Coats John Brennan John McCain russia trump intelligence-agencies election-interference helsinki
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Putin-Linked Company Receives Tariff Exemption Until Public Outcry

| Importance: 9/10

Rusal America, a subsidiary of Russian metals giant controlled by oligarch Oleg Deripaska (sanctioned for election interference), received aluminum tariff exemption from Commerce Department in July 2018. Warren’s congressional inquiry exposed the improper approval, forcing Commerce Department …

Donald Trump Elizabeth Warren Russian oligarch Trump Administration tariffs russia sanctions corruption oligarchs
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Paradise Papers Reveal Commerce Secretary Ross Concealed Stake in Russian-Linked Shipping Company

| Importance: 8/10

The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) revealed through the Paradise Papers investigation that U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur L. Ross Jr. maintained a stake in Navigator Holdings, a shipping firm that received millions of dollars annually from a Russian gas company whose …

Wilbur Ross Kirill Shamalov Gennady Timchenko Vladimir Putin Cabinet Corruption Ethics Violations Wilbur Ross Russia Paradise Papers +1 more
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Reality Winner Arrested for Leaking Russian Election Interference Report

| Importance: 8/10

Former Air Force veteran and NSA contractor Reality Leigh Winner was arrested for leaking a classified intelligence report documenting Russian cyberattacks on U.S. election infrastructure. Her case would result in the longest prison sentence ever imposed for an unauthorized release of government …

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Trump Reveals Israeli Classified Intelligence to Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov in Oval Office - Day After Comey Firing

| Importance: 10/10

The day after firing FBI Director James Comey, President Trump met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in the Oval Office and revealed highly classified code-word intelligence provided by Israel about an ISIS laptop bomb plot, jeopardizing a critical …

Donald Trump Sergei Lavrov Sergey Kislyak H.R. McMaster Benjamin Netanyahu classified-intelligence russia israel national-security-risk lavrov +1 more
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Black Ledger Reveals $12.7 Million in Secret Cash Payments to Trump Campaign Chair Manafort

| Importance: 10/10

On August 14, 2016, Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau revealed a secret “black ledger” documenting $12.7 million in undisclosed cash payments from Ukraine’s former pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych’s party to Paul Manafort, Donald Trump’s campaign …

Paul Manafort Viktor Yanukovych Oleg Deripaska Trump Campaign Ukraine National Anti-Corruption Bureau paul-manafort trump-campaign ukraine russia money-laundering +4 more
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Trump Publicly Calls on Russia to Hack Clinton Emails, GRU Begins Targeting Clinton Servers Same Day

| Importance: 10/10

On July 27, 2016, at a televised press conference, Donald Trump publicly called on Russia to hack Hillary Clinton’s emails: “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing.” According to Mueller’s indictment of 12 GRU …

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WikiLeaks Releases 20,000 Stolen DNC Emails Three Days Before Democratic Convention

| Importance: 10/10

On July 22, 2016, WikiLeaks released 19,252 DNC emails and 8,034 attachments stolen by Russian GRU intelligence—strategically timed for maximum political damage just three days before the Democratic National Convention. The release, coordinated between Russian intelligence (via Guccifer 2.0), …

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Guccifer 2.0 (Russian GRU) Begins Leaking Stolen DNC Emails Hours After Hack Exposure

| Importance: 10/10

On June 15, 2016—just one day after CrowdStrike publicly disclosed that Russian intelligence had hacked the Democratic National Committee—the GRU launched the “Guccifer 2.0” persona and began releasing stolen DNC documents. The Mueller investigation later proved that Guccifer 2.0 was not …

Russian GRU Guccifer 2.0 Democratic National Committee WikiLeaks Robert Mueller russia gru dnc-hack guccifer-2 wikileaks +4 more
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Roger Stone Meets Russian National Offering Clinton Dirt for $2 Million

| Importance: 8/10

Roger Stone and Michael Caputo meet with Russian national “Henry Greenberg” (who claimed to be FBI informant) offering dirt on Hillary Clinton for …

Roger Stone michael-caputo henry-greenberg Russian Intelligence roger-stone russia election-interference henry-greenberg michael-caputo +4 more
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NRA Spends Record $30-55 Million Supporting Trump, FBI Investigates Russian Money Laundering

| Importance: 10/10

During the 2016 election cycle, the National Rifle Association spent a record $30-55 million supporting Donald Trump’s presidential campaign—triple its 2012 spending for Mitt Romney. The unprecedented spending occurred during and after Maria Butina and Alexander Torshin’s systematic …

National Rifle Association Donald Trump Maria Butina Alexander Torshin FBI +1 more nra trump-campaign russia money-laundering maria-butina +4 more
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Russian Agent Maria Butina Questions Trump About Sanctions at FreedomFest, Trump Promises to "Get Along" with Putin

| Importance: 9/10

On July 11, 2015, at the FreedomFest libertarian conference in Las Vegas, Russian intelligence operative Maria Butina publicly questioned presidential candidate Donald Trump about US sanctions on Russia. Trump responded that he knew Putin and believed they would “get along very nicely” …

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Annexation of Crimea: Putin's Strategic Asset Seizure

| Importance: 9/10

Vladimir Putin orchestrated the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, gaining control over strategic Black Sea naval bases and significant energy resources. This action involved the deployment of unmarked Russian forces, a disputed referendum, and the subsequent integration of Crimean assets into …

Vladimir Putin Sergey Aksyonov Viktor Yanukovych Sergey Lavrov Dmitry Kozak russia ukraine annexation putin crimea +2 more
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Annexation of Crimea: Putin's Strategic Asset Seizure

| Importance: 9/10

Vladimir Putin orchestrated the illegal annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, violating international law and multiple treaties. The operation involved deploying unmarked Russian special forces, conducting a disputed referendum, and subsequently integrating Crimean territories into Russian control. The …

Vladimir Putin Sergey Aksyonov Viktor Yanukovych Sergey Lavrov Dmitry Kozak russia ukraine annexation putin crimea +3 more
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Trump Holds Miss Universe in Moscow, Partners with Putin-Connected Agalarovs for Trump Tower Moscow

| Importance: 9/10

On November 9, 2013, Donald Trump brought the Miss Universe pageant to Moscow, held at Crocus City Hall owned by Aras Agalarov—a Russian billionaire known as “Putin’s Builder” with close Kremlin ties. During the event, Trump pursued meetings with Vladimir Putin (who sent a gift via …

Donald Trump Aras Agalarov Emin Agalarov Vladimir Putin Trump Organization trump russia putin agalarov trump-tower-moscow +3 more
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Russia Grants Snowden Temporary Asylum After 39 Days in Moscow Airport

| Importance: 9/10

After spending 39 days confined to the transit zone of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport, Edward Snowden was granted temporary asylum in Russia for one year on August 1, 2013. Russian authorities had restricted Snowden to the airport terminal after observing that U.S. authorities had …

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Snowden Flees Hong Kong for Moscow Seeking Asylum Amid U.S. Diplomatic Pressure

| Importance: 9/10

Edward Snowden boarded an Aeroflot commercial flight from Hong Kong to Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport on June 23, 2013, accompanied by Sarah Harrison of WikiLeaks, just days after the U.S. filed espionage charges and requested his extradition. The Hong Kong government allowed Snowden to leave …

Edward Snowden WikiLeaks Sarah Harrison Hong Kong government State Department edward-snowden asylum international-relations hong-kong russia +1 more
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Magnitsky Act Passed by US Congress

| Importance: 8/10

The Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act was introduced in the US House of Representatives, targeting Russian officials responsible for human rights violations and corruption. Named after Sergei Magnitsky, a lawyer who exposed a $230 million tax fraud scheme and subsequently died in …

Sergei Magnitsky Bill Browder Benjamin Cardin John McCain US Congress sanctions human-rights russia legislative-action international-accountability +1 more
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Putin Appointed Prime Minister by Yeltsin

| Importance: 9/10

Vladimir Putin was appointed Prime Minister by Boris Yeltsin on August 9, 1999, marking a pivotal moment in Russia’s political transformation. At the time virtually unknown to the public, Putin was strategically positioned as Yeltsin’s potential successor. His appointment was part of a …

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Deutsche Bank Loans Trump $2.5 Billion Despite Russian Money Laundering and Red Flags

| Importance: 10/10

From 1998-2016, Deutsche Bank loaned Donald Trump and his companies over $2.5 billion despite Trump’s history of bankruptcies, defaults, and “Donald risk” that caused all other major US banks to refuse him. This lending relationship persisted even as Deutsche Bank was …

Deutsche Bank Donald Trump Trump Organization Russian Oligarchs Justin Kennedy trump deutsche-bank money-laundering russia financial-corruption +2 more
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