AnewZ has launched a new investigations unit with the premiere of The Oligarch’s Design, a long-form documentary marking the debut of AnewZ Investigations, its cross-border reporting initiative.
The film examines how power and influence can be constructed outside formal political systems, focusing on the role of financial networks, philanthropy and carefully shaped public narratives. It is the first instalment in a new investigative documentary series produced by AnewZ.
At the centre of the documentary is the story of Ruben Vardanyan, tracing his journey from Moscow’s financial elite to a political role within an unrecognised separatist administration in 2022.
The investigation draws on open-source material and builds on earlier international reporting, including findings linked to the so-called Troika Laundromat, a network of offshore companies used to move billions of dollars through the global financial system.
Filmed in Italy, Lithuania, the United Kingdom, the United States, Armenia, Israel, Ukraine and Azerbaijan, the documentary brings together analysis from a range of experts, offering multiple perspectives on the mechanisms of influence explored in the film.
Rufat Hamzayev, executive director of AnewZ, described The Oligarch’s Design as the result of an extensive international investigative effort and said work on the documentary had begun in January.
“Nearly 100 people were involved in the preparation of the project, including journalists, producers and legal advisers,” he noted. “From the outset, our goal was to avoid a one-sided interpretation and to produce a documentary that reflects AnewZ’s mission of neutral, balanced journalism.”
AnewZ editor-in-chief Guy Shone said editorial restraint was a deliberate and defining choice.
“The film presents evidence and context, but avoids conclusions delivered through narration,” he said. “We deliberately leave space for the audience to assess the material. This approach reflects the standards we expect for investigative work at AnewZ.”
The next film in the series, The Shadow Trade, is due to premiere soon.
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The United States and Argentina have signed a framework agreement to strengthen cooperation on critical minerals on Thursday, reaffirming a shared commitment to building secure, resilient and competitive supply chains.
Ukraine says the second round of U.S.-brokered peace talks with Russia in Abu Dhabi is moving into separate working groups focused on specific issues, before delegations reconvene to coordinate positions.
Russia said on Wednesday that the parties to the New START nuclear arms control treaty are no longer bound by its obligations or related declarations, marking a further erosion of the last remaining legally binding framework limiting U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear forces.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei “should be very worried”, as efforts to establish a diplomatic path between Washington and Tehran appear to be breaking down.
Cuba’s Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío has denied that Havana and Washington have entered formal negotiations, countering recent assertions by U.S. President Donald Trump, while saying the island is open to dialogue under certain conditions.
Talks with the U.S. should be pursued to secure national interests as long as "threats and unreasonable expectations" are avoided, President Masoud Pezeshkian posted on X on Tuesday (3 February).
Mexico said it will stop sending oil to Cuba as U.S. President Donald Trump ramped up pressure on the Caribbean nation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia on Tuesday (3 February) of exploiting a U.S.-backed energy ceasefire to stockpile weapons and launch large-scale drone and missile attacks on Ukraine ahead of peace talks.
Paris prosecutors have summoned X chairman Elon Musk and former chief executive Linda Yaccarino for questioning in April as part of their probe into the X social media network, they said on Tuesday.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei “should be very worried”, as efforts to establish a diplomatic path between Washington and Tehran appear to be breaking down.
Another shipment of grain was sent to Armenia via transit through Azerbaijani territory on 4 February. The latest delivery consisted of eight wagons carrying 560 tonnes of grain dispatched from Azerbaijan to Armenia.
Azerbaijan and Armenia used a high-profile international platform in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday to underline growing trade ties, expanding cooperation and what both leaders described as an irreversible turn towards peace after decades of conflict.
Afghan officials and international partners met in Kabul on Wednesday (4 February) for the fourth meeting of the Doha Process Working Group on Counter-Narcotics, with officials citing a reduction in poppy cultivation to “nearly zero” as efforts to curb drug production and trafficking were reviewed.
Uzbekistan is accelerating plans to expand uranium production and deepen international nuclear cooperation, positioning the sector as a pillar of long-term industrial growth and resource security.
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