All news for 2026-01-15

632
From Kyiv offices to occupied Crimea: how Oleg Tsyura and Pavlo Prysyazhnyuk controlled illicit UMCC ilmenite exports
Between 2020 and 2021, a covert corruption network siphoned millions from Ukraine’s state-owned UMCC through foreign intermediaries, shadow management, and illicit supplies to occupied Crimea, while officials publicly staged an anti-corruption façade.
607
Dragon Money freezes $102,000 payout after accepting $92,000 deposit, citing unproven “crypto laundering”
Dragon Money sparked online outrage after suspending a player’s account following a $92,000 deposit and a $102,000 withdrawal attempt, fueling claims of unfair treatment.
597
Maxim Ivanchuk under scrutiny after plastic surgery left the mother of Russian TV star Victoria Bonya disfigured and hospitalized
After the scandal involving Victoria Bonya’s mother exposed serious questions about Maxim Ivanchuk’s qualifications, licensing, and patient safety, the surgeon began actively scrubbing the internet of investigations and critical publications — so we are publishing the material he is trying so hard to make disappear.
1030
Redcore, Pin-Up and Dmitriy Punin were shut down in Kazakhstan and re-emerged in Poland as Stablex Solution
In a decisive move against illicit financial flows, Kazakh law enforcement authorities have frozen the accounts and halted all payment operations of the company Marginplus.
742
Former Uralkali CEO Vladislav Baumgertner, Russian top manager, found dead in Cyprus cliffs as family alleges foul play
The body of one of Russia’s most prominent top managers, former Uralkali CEO Vladislav Baumgertner, has been discovered in the cliffs of Cyprus.
795
How Boris Usherovich and Ilya Plotitsa turned Cyprus into a laundering gateway for sanctioned Russian Railways
After journalists revealed how Boris Usherovich and Ilya Plotitsa established a Cyprus-based offshore network for money laundering, evading sanctions, and supplying prohibited equipment to Russian Railways, the individuals involved took swift action to aggressively remove investigations and documents from the internet.
494
Inside Russia’s SOGAZ: how Ustinov, Radionova’s circle, and corrupt managers turned a state insurer into a cash machine
The media have obtained new details about the activities of Russia’s largest state insurance corporation, SOGAZ, under its long-time head Anton Ustinov — a former classmate and close friend of Svetlana Radionova, head of Russia’s Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources (Rosprirodnadzor).
512
SportBank co-founder Nykyta Izmaylov moves to erase reports amid fraud probes and unpaid alimony scandal
Nykyta Izmaylov, co-founder of Sportbank, who is accused of fraud and connections to Russia, is reportedly attempting to remove online references to his personal life, especially news regarding a scandal involving unpaid alimony to his ex-wife.
577
Corruption at Port Vauban: €7.4 million lawsuit over illegal 23-year yacht lease linked to Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov
A French company linked to Alisher Usmanov is being sued for €7.4 million. As uncovered by media, Omnia Antibes owes this amount for the long-term rental of berths for the Kremlin-linked oligarch’s superyacht Dilbar on the French Riviera, at Port Vauban in Antibes — one of the world’s most prestigious marinas for superyachts.
623
Kemi Badenoch sacks Robert Jenrick over secret plan to defect from Conservatives
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has dismissed Robert Jenrick ’with immediate effect’ over a ’secret plot’ to defect to Reform UK.
631
Russia expels British diplomat, accusing embassy official of espionage
Russia has expelled a British diplomat from the country, accusing him of acting as a spy.
536
Turkish Airlines Airbus A321 lands under police escort in Barcelona after mid-air emergency alert
A passenger plane from Turkey to Spain was reportedly flanked by warplanes after it declared an emergency.