Investigations

New evidence suggests Russia is using civilian passenger flights to move its troops to the Ukraine’s front, exposing both aircraft and those on board to military risk under international humanitarian law.

The world sees Russia’s shadow fleet as tankers moving sanctioned oil. In reality, they’re aging, uninsured vessels—often over 25 years old—capable of spilling 100,000 tons of oil at any moment, from the Mediterranean to waters off Singapore or routes to Cuba. And some already have.

The Zlatoust Metallurgical Plant sits at the center of a major Russian alloy supply chain, drawing inputs from Iran, Kazakhstan, and within Russia. Without this steel chain, Russia’s military ability to fly, swim, and crawl would suffer significantly, as newly obtained documentation shows.

Western tobacco-industry supply chains appear to have provided a route into Russia’s missile production chain. Internal procurement records, contracts, and customs data trace cellulose acetate manufactured by the European company Cerdia to a Russian plant that produces propellants for Kalibr cruise missiles used against Ukraine.

Russian missile production depends on Uzbek cotton cellulose, which is used to make propellant. Russia has no alternative source, shows leaked documentation obtained by UNITED24 Media. While the EU moves to sanction key firms in this chain, we explore how dependent Russia is on Uzbek cotton.

Russia is a major military partner for Iran, supplying Tehran with fighter jets as well as weapons for them, including missiles, leaked documents reveal. Their purpose is clear—to destroy enemy aircraft.

An F-35 made history on March 4, 2026, by shooting down a Russian-made aircraft over Tehran—the first confirmed air-to-air kill by the stealth fighter. Leaked documents show how the downed Yak-130 reached Iran.

The best way to stop Iranian and Russian Shahed drones is not in the sky but on the supply chain. Their production is impossible without Western components.

Thanks to hundreds of old tankers, Russia manages to sell oil worldwide, earning up to a third of its budget from this trade.