Undermoney by DCI Group
Media coverage of the war in Ukraine has dwindled, but Russian efforts to destroy the prosperity and infrastructure of Ukraine have not.
The Ukraine possesses valuable assets—it is the fifth largest exporter in the world for wheat, the second largest for corn and counts for about half of the world’s sunflower oil. Most of its territory is agricultural, and its soil is rich ground for the development of crops. If you haven’t guessed this already, Russia wants to possess these assets. In this new episode of Undermoney, host Jay Newman had the honor of speaking with Jim Glassman, the Chief Spokesperson for the ISRP—the Initiative for the Study of Russian Piracy. ISRP’s goal is to shine a light on how Russia is stealing Ukrainian assets, and reveal the devastating ripple effects felt throughout the globe. Together, Jay and Jim use Undermoney as a platform to expose Russian war crimes—and discuss what can be done to stop it. Tune in to this new episode of “Undermoney” to see where the money trail leads…
00:00 🔍 Former officials, experts, and investigators are tracking Russia's theft of Ukrainian assets to make it public and impose sanctions.
08:07 🚢 Russian ships linked to the country's biggest grain exporter are illegally transporting Ukrainian cargo to Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, and Russia.
11:22 🤔 Russia is attempting to gain control of Ukraine's valuable assets, such as grain and steel, while Turkey is playing a double game to benefit from the UN-established humanitarian Corridor and receiving stolen grain from the Russians.
18:13 🔎 Investigations have revealed that severe sanctions need to be taken against those involved in grain theft, including Peter Codican, and Congress should hold Russia accountable.
24:37 🤔 Russian oligarch Peter Kadikan has been laundering resources stolen from Ukraine and assisting the Russian military in illegal grain exports, but sanctions have not been wide enough to target private sector individuals.
32:11 🔍 Investigators have identified over 150 incidents of theft involving transshipment of stolen grain from Ukraine, with a possible grain-for-drones deal between Russia and Iran worth billions of dollars.
38:06 🚨 Governments need to impose sanctions to put an end to the multi-billion dollar theft of brain power.
- Over 150 incidents of theft have been identified since the start of a project to track money flows in Ukraine, with government and private actors involved.
- Former government officials, trade experts, and National Security experts have formed the Initiative for the Study of Russian Piracy to investigate assets being systematically purloined by Russia.
- Investigators are tracking Russia's theft of Ukrainian assets, with the goal of making the theft public and having sanctions imposed on those involved.
- Russians are profiting from grain exports and stealing valuable steel from two plants in Mariupol to fund their war effort.
- Transshipment is used to move cargo from point A to point B and then from point B to point C, concealing the nature of the cargo.
- Russians are running a large and complex Enterprise to move grain to Russia or Crimea, involving trucks, people, ships, and trains.
08:07 🚢 Russian ships linked to the country's biggest grain exporter are illegally transporting Ukrainian cargo to Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, and Russia.
- Investigators use public information, such as ships' transponders, to track looting operations.
- Grain is being shipped to Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, and Russia, with the money going into Russian pockets.
- Russian ships linked to the country's biggest grain exporter have been found to be transporting stolen Ukrainian cargo.
11:22 🤔 Russia is attempting to gain control of Ukraine's valuable assets, such as grain and steel, while Turkey is playing a double game to benefit from the UN-established humanitarian Corridor and receiving stolen grain from the Russians.
- Ukraine is the fifth largest exporter of wheat and second largest exporter of corn, making it vital in supplying life-giving grain to the world, which explains why Vladimir Putin wanted to gain control of it.
- Russia is not only destroying Ukraine, but also stealing grain and steel to support their war effort.
- Gaining control of valuable assets, such as metals, is not a new concept and is often overlooked when discussing national security.
- Russia is attempting to steal valuable assets from Ukraine, such as technology and grain, which could be worth billions of dollars.
- Turkey is playing a double game, benefiting from the UN-established humanitarian Corridor to ship grain out of Ukraine and also receiving stolen grain from the Russians.
- Aid to Ukraine is being stolen and sold to prolong the war, with shipments also going to Iran and Syria.
18:13 🔎 Investigations have revealed that severe sanctions need to be taken against those involved in grain theft, including Peter Codican, and Congress should hold Russia accountable.
- The best way to put an end to grain theft is to put severe sanctions on the participants, such as the shipping companies involved.
- Treasury Department's OFAC office can help Ukraine recover hundreds of millions and billions of dollars stolen by Russia.
- Sanctions need to be taken seriously and Congress should hold Russia accountable and encourage the administration to take action.
- Peter Codican, a Russian businessman and owner of the largest Russian grain exporter, is a big player in global grain markets and can be considered a Russian oligarch.
- Treasury Department has the power to impose individual sanctions based on existing executive orders, but congressional action may be necessary in the future.
- Investigations have been difficult to definitively show what's been going on, but journalists and investigators have worked hard to uncover the truth.
24:37 🤔 Russian oligarch Peter Kadikan has been laundering resources stolen from Ukraine and assisting the Russian military in illegal grain exports, but sanctions have not been wide enough to target private sector individuals.
- Peter Kadikan is a Russian oligarch with a major stake in banks, who has been laundering resources stolen from the Ukrainian people and assisting the Russian military in nefarious ways.
- Between April and September, companies controlled by or benefiting Mr Kitty illegally exported 58,000-98,000 tons of grain and transferred an additional 64,000 tons to other companies, possibly with the assistance of the Russian military.
- Theft of grain is affected by the military, transported to Sebastopol in Crimea, and loaded onto private or government ships.
- Sanctions could be effective in this case as they could hurt the companies and individuals involved, though the money from the sale of grain or steel has not been tracked.
- The US and EU have passed multiple packages of sanctions against Russia, recently including designations of 22 proxy officials for theft of Ukraine's grain, but it is not wide enough to target private sector individuals.
- It is not possible to separate Ukrainian grain from Russian grain, so Russian grain is allowed to be sold while Ukrainian grain is not, and it is likely that some of the Ukrainian grain ends up in Europe.
32:11 🔍 Investigators have identified over 150 incidents of theft involving transshipment of stolen grain from Ukraine, with a possible grain-for-drones deal between Russia and Iran worth billions of dollars.
- Investigators have identified over 150 incidents of theft since the start of their project, involving transshipment of stolen grain from Ukraine, with one example being the Immacris II which received media attention in July.
- The Macros 2 and Petra II ships conducted a ship-to-ship transfer of grain from Russia and Ukraine in the Kerch Strait.
- Ships are illegally taking Ukrainian grain and disabling their transponders to avoid detection, which is against International Maritime Organization regulation number 19.
- Petra 2 received seven shipments from Russia and two from Ukraine, then went dark in the Straits of Hormuz and reappeared in the Persian Gulf with its cargo unloaded, but no record of it landing in Iraq.
- Investigators believe there is a grain-for-drones deal between Russia and Iran worth billions of dollars.
38:06 🚨 Governments need to impose sanctions to put an end to the multi-billion dollar theft of brain power.
- Multi-billion dollar theft of brain power has been identified, and governments are being encouraged to take steps to put an end to it.
- Governments need to impose individual and institutional sanctions to have a major impact on companies operating in questionable ways.
- Sanctions can be taken against individuals, including seizing assets and identifying high value property, to further erode support for the war within Russia.
- Ukraine is being pillaged by Russia, and understanding this will encourage more involvement from the US Congress and European parliaments.
WHEN A U.S. AIRDROP OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS
disappears in the desert sands of Syria, only a small group of military operatives knows its ultimate destination or why it has been stolen.
Their goal is no less than the restoration of America’s military and economic preeminence on the global stage.
Arcing from Manhattan’s finest apartments to Washington, D.C., from Middle Eastern war zones to private European bank vaults, Jay Newman’s Undermoney is a filled with jaw-dropping action. Brilliantly rendered with details only a sophisticated financial insider knows, it reveals the secret intentions and savage deeds of the world’s richest people.
More information: www.jaynewman.com
Their goal is no less than the restoration of America’s military and economic preeminence on the global stage.
Arcing from Manhattan’s finest apartments to Washington, D.C., from Middle Eastern war zones to private European bank vaults, Jay Newman’s Undermoney is a filled with jaw-dropping action. Brilliantly rendered with details only a sophisticated financial insider knows, it reveals the secret intentions and savage deeds of the world’s richest people.
More information: www.jaynewman.com
