Section: The Guardian (The United Kingdom)
Manafort’s ‘lavish lifestyle’ laundered illicit cash through property loans – and Airbnb
The indictment unsealed on Monday details a scheme to turn ill-gotten Ukrainian money into American property that was then mortgaged for millionsPaul Manafort may be about to become the most infamous Airbnb host in America. The former chair of the Trump campaign was charged – along with his “right-hand man” Rick Gates – with conspiring against...
Bad Rabbit: Game of Thrones-referencing ransomware hits Europe
NotPetya-style malware infects Kiev’s metro system, Odessa airport and Russian media, demanding bitcoin for decryption keyA major ransomware attack is hitting computers in Russia and Ukraine, bearing similarities to the NotPetya outbreak that caused billions of pounds of damage in June.The self-titled “Bad Rabbit” malware encrypts data on...
What should Putin do about the war in Ukraine? Learn from Lenin | Serhii Plokhy
As the revolution’s centenary nears, Russia must accept that its neighbour is an independent nationAs the centenary of the Russian Revolution comes knocking on the portals of the Kremlin, the Russian government does not know what to do. The wave of post-Soviet popular revolts, from the Georgian Rose Revolution of 2003 to the Revolution of...
UK targets Eurovision viewers to counter Russia’s ‘infowars’
Saatchi agency hired to run range of projects, from ‘rebranding’ Ukraine to influencing Russian-speaking minorities in Baltic statesBritain is seeking to counter a cold war-style “information war” by investing in a range of projects, from “rebranding” Ukraine to influencing Russian speakers in Baltic states.The UK’s efforts have...
Home Match: a young Ukrainian woman torn between football and family
One crucial year in the life of Alina Shilova, a young Ukrainian woman born and raised in the poor suburbs of Kiev, who is torn between playing football and looking after her family.Alina’s life has always been based around playing football and she was considered for the Ukrainian football team. Her coach knows she is talented but Alina is...
The west must defend its values against Putin’s Russia | Vygaudas Ušackas
The outgoing EU ambassador to Russia identifies a deep and dangerous clash of values between Moscow and the west, epitomised by the Ukraine crisisWhen I arrived in Moscow as the EU’s ambassador to Russia four years ago, relations between the two blocs were strained but functional. Within months, though, Russia would annex Crimea and...
West’s rift with Russia ‘will last until Vladimir Putin goes’
Outgoing EU envoy to Moscow says Brussels should help Ukraine by offering it a path to membershipRelations between Russia and the EU are stuck in a “deep and acute” crisis and are unlikely to improve until President Vladimir Putin leaves office and the conflict in Ukraine is resolved – events that could be many years away, the outgoing EU...
Crimean Tatar leader convicted of ‘separatism’ will not seek clemency
Ilmi Umerov, who was sentenced to jail for comments about Russia’s annexation, says he will not ask for mercy despite illnessesA Crimean Tatar leader sentenced to two years in jail for opposing Russian rule in the annexed territory has said he will not appeal to the Kremlin for mercy, despite illnesses that mean his life could be at risk in...
Paul Manafort: why Trump’s old ally could hold the key in Mueller’s Russia hunt
Trump’s ex-campaign chair is a major target for special counsel Mueller, and an indictment may not be far off – which could change everything for the presidentWhen Paul Manafort, the former Washington super-lobbyist, bought an apartment in Trump Tower in Manhattan for $3.7m in 2006, there was no reason at the time to read the hand of...
The billionaires investing in Cyprus in exchange for EU passports
Businesspeople and those with political influence from Russia and Ukraine among hundreds granted citizenship for moneyA leaked list of names of those who have benefited from Cyprus’s citizenship-by-investment programmes represents a detailed insight into the panoply of clients behind schemes providing passports to the super rich.It also...
