Sanctions-Evasion

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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Russian Military Systematically Acquires and Uses Starlink Terminals in Ukraine

| Importance: 9/10

In February 2024, Ukrainian military intelligence confirmed that Russian forces were systematically using Starlink satellite internet terminals on the front lines in Ukraine, acquired through complex international intermediary networks. Despite SpaceX’s claims of non-involvement, Russian …

Elon Musk Vladimir Putin Russian military Starlink Andrii Yusov +1 more starlink-russia military-technology tech-weaponization ukraine-conflict sanctions-evasion
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Shell Company Network Analysis Links Cryptocurrency to Kleptocracy Infrastructure

| Importance: 8/10

Comprehensive investigation reveals systematic connections between cryptocurrency exchanges, shell company structures, and oligarchic money laundering operations. Analysis exposes how platforms like BitMEX facilitate complex financial networks that enable sanctions evasion, cybercrime funding, and …

BitMEX Arthur Hayes Ben Delo Samuel Reed Gregory Dwyer +3 more kleptocracy-network crypto shell-companies money-laundering sanctions-evasion +1 more
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Reports: Sanctioned oligarch Suleiman Kerimov held ~1% SpaceX stake via Heritage Trust

| Importance: 6/10

Bloomberg and other outlets reported Russian oligarch Suleyman Kerimov held approximately 1% of SpaceX through Delaware’s Heritage Trust, managed by Citigroup, from 2017 until disposal before Treasury blocked the trust in 2022. The stake was acquired pre-sanctions but retained for years after …

Suleyman Kerimov (Russian Federation Council member) SpaceX Elon Musk Heritage Trust (Delaware) Citigroup +2 more russian-investment spacex sanctions-evasion critical-infrastructure
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Halliburton Opens Tehran Office While Cheney Still CEO, Completing $40 Million Annual Iran Business Through Cayman Islands Subsidiary Designed to Circumvent U.S. Sanctions

| Importance: 9/10

In February 2000, Halliburton’s offshore subsidiary Halliburton Products and Services opened an office in Tehran, Iran, while Dick Cheney remained CEO of the parent company, completing a systematic sanctions evasion structure that generated approximately $40 million annually in oil field …

Dick Cheney Halliburton Halliburton Products and Services Bill Clinton sanctions-evasion conflicts-of-interest regulatory-arbitrage corporate-impunity foreign-influence
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