Maria Zholobova - IStories

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Maria Zholobova

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Russian programmer Alexander Okunev set himself on fire on the third anniversary of the full-scale invasion. No one heard

6 May

Maria Zholobova, Filipp Gorenshtein, Holger Roonemaa, Indrė Makaraitytė, Ilya Ber

He Burned Himself Alive to Protest Russia’s War in Ukraine. The State Tried to Erase Him

Exclusive

Alleged Magnitsky Case Fraud Mastermind Tried in Absentia in France

This is the first investigation on Dmitry Klyuev’s activity to reach the trial stage

Alleged Magnitsky Case Fraud Mastermind Tried in Absentia in France

Who makes money off videos of brutal war executions published on Telegram channels

17 March

Irina Dolinina, Aleksandr Atasuntsev

The Russian War Snuff Videos Industry: “Welcome to the Real Murders Channel”

A new leak unveils the scale of Wagner Group’s ex-staffers’ work in Africa and Latin America as well as Russian intelligence connections

14 February

“The Central African Republic Supports Trump”

Russian cadets at military universities and academies say they are being deprived of the right to resign. At the same time, their military contracts are now permanent under Putin’s 2022 mobilization decree

29 October

Irina Dolinina, Aleksandr Atasuntsev

“They Aren’t Letting Us Go.” Russian Cadets Lured into Military Service with No Way Out

A Russian-Spanish wine exporter whose family runs a chic tapas bar is under investigation for shipping sanctioned chemicals to Russia. She also owns a chemical company in Russia whose clients have included major state scientific agencies known for developing chemical weapons. An investigation by OCCRP, All Eyes On Wagner, Slidstvo.Info, Belarusian Investigative Center, and IStories

30 September

Maria Zholobova

Tapas and Toxins

An investigation by The Post and Courier, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and IStories

28 September

Irina Dolinina, John Dell'Osso

Sovcombank Co-owner Sergey Khotimsky Invested Millions of Dollars in U.S. Real Estate, and It Avoided Sanctions

Exclusive

Moscow to Spend 1.3 Billion Rubles on Migrant Database Upgrade Which Will Include the Ability to Collect “Genomic Data”

It is not clear whether this genomic data will subsequently be stored in the system

Moscow to Spend 1.3 Billion Rubles on Migrant Database Upgrade Which Will Include the Ability to Collect “Genomic Data”

How a network for selling sex with teenagers was built in Russia — and which of its influential clients managed to escape responsibility. An investigation by IStories and Verstka

19 June

Olesya Gerasimenko, Ivan Zhadaev, Rina Richter, Aleksandr Kabanov, Maria Zholobova, Dmitry Velikovsky

“They Told Me: Deripaska Is the Client. Don’t You Want To Sell Your Virginity?”

Vladimir Putin has ordered residents of the occupied territories to legalize their status by September 10, or else they will be deported. In reality, Ukrainians whom the occupation authorities have deemed a “security threat” have long been expelled from their homes and abandoned at the border with Georgia. Here are their stories

23 May

Rina Nikolaeva, Polina Uzhvak, Irina Dolinina

Deportation From the Occupation

Journalists from six countries have united to investigate the death of Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna. In the summer of 2023, she organized a trip to the territories occupied by Russia to locate places where abducted Ukrainians were being held and disappeared herself. A year and a half later, her body was repatriated with signs of torture

29 April

Polina Uzhvak, Irina Dolinina, Rina Nikolaeva

Ghost Detainees. The Story of Viktoriia Roshchyna

Meet the bloggers who criticize the West and lure foreigners to Russia — to enjoy “traditional values.” These bloggers are considered independent, but they are paid by the propaganda channel RT

13 March

Rina Nikolaeva, Anastasia Korotkova, Dmitry Velikovsky

Propaganda for Export

Coal goes to Turkey and other countries, and money goes offshore

4 February

Maria Zholobova

Son of Ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych Makes Billions Selling Coal From Occupied Territories

The story of one of the most closed officials in Russia — the chief personnel officer of the Russian regime

9 July

Maria Zholobova, Roman Anin

Dmitry Mironov, A Putin’s “Sonny”

An investigation into how presidential administration employee, Sergey Novikov, became the chief censor of Russian culture

8 July

Svetlana Reiter, Maria Zholobova, Kristina Safonova, Andrey Pertsev

From Passion to Persecution: How the Kremlin Chief Censor’s Cultural Dream Became a Russian Nightmare

IStories has uncovered which Russian officials, deputies, state company chiefs and criminals have acquired real estate in Dubai. Presenting Dubai Unlocked, a six-month international investigation involving more than 70 media outlets from around the globe.

14 May

Editors, Dmitry Velikovsky, Misha Gagarin, Ekaterina Selivanova, Irina Dolinina, Alesya Marokhovskaya, Sonya Savina, Maria Zholobova, Anastasia Korotkova, Lizaveta Tsybulina

Dubai Unlocked: Secrets and Lies in the UAE

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How Russia Imports Foreign Components and Machinery

Sanctions have complicated Russia’s effort to secure foreign-made military technology. But when it comes to sourcing the inputs for gunpowder — the explosive powering the army’s relentless artillery fire — Moscow can still rely on two Central Asian neighbors who have ramped up exports of cotton pulp, a key ingredient, since the invasion

21 December

Metin Kazama, Olga Loginova, Maria Zholobova

Central Asian Cotton Powers Russia’s Sanctioned Gunpowder Plants

An investigation by IStories and OCCRP

27 November

Maria Zholobova, Metin Kazama

Ukraine Continues to Supply Russia with Aviation Spare Parts

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How Russia Imports Foreign Components and Machinery

An investigation about Inkotech, yet another supplier of contraband microelectronics for Russian weapons

26 October

Maria Zholobova

Components for One of the Deadliest Russian Missiles, Kalibr, are Being Supplied to Russia despite the Sanctions

IStories talked to the Wagner mercenaries

24 August

Maria Zholobova, Anastasia Korotkova, Polina Uzhvak, Elizaveta Dobrovinskaya, Alisa Kuznetsova

What Is the Future of Wagner Group after Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Death

Her name is Fatima Khazuyeva, first reported by journalists in 2021

4 August

Maria Zholobova

Ramzan Kadyrov Published a Family Photo with His Secret Wife

Oleg Deripaska, Leonid Mikhelson, Gennady Timchenko, and other businessmen recruit volunteers for the war on salaries. In the meantime, their businesses, which is involved in this — Rusal, Novatek, PIK, Mospromstroy — successfully avoid sanctions

1 August

Maria Zholobova, Anastasia Korotkova

How the Russian Billionaires Provide Mercenaries to the Russian Army

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The Rotenberg Files

Boris and Arkady Rotenberg were two of the most prominent Russian oligarchs to be sanctioned after the Kremlin’s 2014 annexation of Crimea. Never-before-seen insider documents now offer unprecedented insight into how they shielded their fortune — and who helped them do it.

20 June

Roman Anin, Maxim Solyus, Dmitry Velikovsky, Irina Dolinina, Alesya Marokhovskaya, Maria Zholobova, Jyri Hänninen, Minna Knus-Galan, Cecilia Anesi, Sanita Jemberga, Holger Roonemaa, Ilya Lozovsky, Robert Denis, Misha Gagarin, Kevin G. Hall, Ekaterina Selivanova, Graham Stack, Tom Stocks, Julia Wallace, Giacomo Tognini, Ben Cowdock, Abdelhak El Idrissi , Daniel Balint-Kurti

Leaked Emails Reveal How Putin’s Friends Dodged Sanctions With Help of Western Enablers

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How Russia Imports Foreign Components and Machinery

Western sanctions are meant to prevent Russia from supplying its military from abroad, but sensitive electronics are still getting through. Reporters traced several of these supply chains through Kazakhstan — and found that they run through companies newly established by Russians.

19 May

Maria Zholobova, Benjamin Bidder, Vyacheslav Abramov, Ilya Lozovsky

Kazakhstan Has Become a Pathway for the Supply of Russia’s War Machine. Here’s How It Works

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How Russia Imports Foreign Components and Machinery

How does Russia keep producing advanced weapons in the face of sanctions? An export control expert from the USA explains

14 February

Maria Zholobova

“It’s Not Hard to Evade Sanctions”

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How Russia Imports Foreign Components and Machinery

IStories recently published a story about how the West supplies components for Russian Orlan drones. Now, we reveal how Rostec purchases Western components for electronic warfare systems that destroy Ukrainian defenses.

25 January

Maria Zholobova

The West Has Banned the Sale of Components for Weapons Production to Russia. But Russia’s Main Weapons Manufacturer, Rostec, Is Still Buying Them

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How Russia Imports Foreign Components and Machinery

During the course of Russia’s war on Ukraine, Western companies have supplied Russia with components to produce Orlan drones that help kill Ukrainians. An investigation by IStories, Reuters and the Royal United Services Institute

15 December

Maria Zholobova, Maurice Tamman, Stephen Grey

The West Has Banned the Sale of Components for Weapons Production to Russia. But Russia Is Still Buying Them