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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Joseph Kent, head of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, resigned on Tuesday (17 March), becoming the most senior official in President Donald Trump’s administration to step down over the war in Iran. Kent cited his opposition to the conflict, stating that Tehran posed no imminent threat.
China’s international trade representative has said Beijing and Washington have reached a “preliminary consensus” on some key issues following their latest round of talks in Paris, offering a cautious sign of progress in a relationship long marked by tension and uncertainty.
Tensions between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban have surged after the Taliban government accused Islamabad of carrying out an attack that killed more than 400 people, an allegation Pakistan denies. Here is how the two sides compare in military strength, from troop numbers to nuclear capability.
The real power of the Strait of Hormuz lies not in closing it, but in the threat of closure.
The other evening, I was fuelling my car at a petrol station in Kenya’s capital. It was one of those small moments most motorists barely notice. The attendant filled the tank, I glanced at the pump price, paid, and drove off.
President Trump called on countries to assist in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, while Starmer said the UK is working with allies to restore navigation and stabilise oil markets. It comes as a strike near Iraq’s western border killed several Hashed al-Shaabi fighters, raising regional tensions.
President Donald Trump said NATO is making a “very foolish mistake” by refusing to help the U.S. as Israel Katz confirmed Ali Larijani was killed in Israeli strikes.
Kazakhstan has adopted a new constitution that could allow President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to stay in power beyond 2029. The Central Election Commission confirmed that 87.15% of voters backed the constitution in a referendum held on Sunday (17 March).
The World Health Organization (WHO) has released $2m in emergency funding to support health responses in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria as escalating regional conflict strains hospitals, raises displacement and increases pressure on already fragile health systems.
Joseph Kent, head of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, resigned on Tuesday (17 March), becoming the most senior official in President Donald Trump’s administration to step down over the war in Iran. Kent cited his opposition to the conflict, stating that Tehran posed no imminent threat.
Tensions between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban have surged after the Taliban government accused Islamabad of carrying out an attack that killed more than 400 people, an allegation Pakistan denies. Here is how the two sides compare in military strength, from troop numbers to nuclear capability.
The European Union has removed Georgia’s Kulevi oil terminal from its sanctions list after receiving assurances from both the Georgian government and Azerbaijan’s state energy company SOCAR that the facility will no longer be used in ways that could bypass sanctions on Russian oil.
More than 400 people were killed and around 250 injured in an air strike on a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul late on Monday, Afghan officials said, while Pakistan rejected the claim, calling it “false and misleading.”
Kazakhstan’Kazakhstan’s lower house has approved plans for a green energy corridor with Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. Once implemented, the project would see renewable electricity generated in the two Central Asian countries transmitted to Europe via Azerbaijan.
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