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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Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he thinks there is a chance of a peace being reached with Ukraine. He told the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia that he believed there was "a chance of finding a solution," to the conflict.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia then Ukraine over the weekend, Russian state news agency TASS has reported, citing an unnamed source. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also said American envoys will visit the capitals of both countries.
The Iranian Health Ministry said at least 18 people were killed and 142 others injured in U.S. airstrikes carried out between 30 August and 2 September.
The Iranian Army has again struck at U.S. bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates in retaliation for U.S. attacks on southern and western parts of Iran late on Tuesday, which reportedly killed 18 people and injured more than 100 others.
U.S. efforts to squeeze Iran’s economy through an oil blockade and sanctions are becoming increasingly difficult for Tehran to withstand, according to three senior Iranian sources. Washington is escalating pressure in hopes of securing concessions in future negotiations.
A unique architectural monument dating back to the 9th to 12th centuries has been discovered in the village of Gargara, in the Korez village commune in Dangara district in Tajikistan.
Japan and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime have launched a $9.4 million, two-year project across five Afghan provinces to help former poppy-growing families and expand drug prevention and treatment services.
For centuries, Lahore has been shaped by the people, cultures and empires that passed through it. Now, the Pakistani city is preparing to put that rich history before a wider regional audience.
Israel is ready to move Palestinians from Gaza as soon as the U.S. approves, the country’s Defence Minister Israel Katz has said. He told a conference hosted by Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth on Wednesday that there was “no real solution” for Gaza without migration.
Flights between Central Asia and Russia have faced widespread disruption, with aircraft diverted, turned back or cancelled amid restrictions in Russian airspace and conflicting claims from Moscow and Kyiv over aviation safety.
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