Investigation reveals that Cyprus ignores Russian atrocities, Western sanctions to shield vast wealth of Putin allies

An investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, Paper Trail Media and 67 media partners reveals how Cyprus, at the east end of the Mediterranean nearest Turkey, Syria and Lebanon, plays an even bigger role than was commonly known in moving dirty money for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s autocratic regime and other brutal dictators and anti-democratic actors.

Among them: Syria’s murderous rulers, whose state-owned oil company attempted to evade the United States’ ban on doing business with it by using an intermediary on the island to disguise requests for purchases from a Houston oil equipment supplier; and Kremlin associates who channeled payments through Cyprus to a prominent German journalist known for producing fawning coverage of Russia’s autocratic leader.