Due Diligence – KCS Group Europe Ltd

Exile on Silk Road: The rise of the near abroad

Articles / Afghanistan, Central Asia, China, Due Diligence, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, oil and gas, Russia / 01/2023 01/2023

There is a case to be made among historians that the Silk Road was the eighth wonder of the world: not a monument in stone, but a monument to furthering the cause of humanity, allowing for the transmission of economic, cultural and political exchanges between East and West in a manner previously unthinkable and surviving …

Exile on Silk Road: The rise of the near abroad Read More »

Russia, Ukraine and Africa: Against the grain

Articles / Africa, China, Due Diligence, Global Threats, grain and wheat, humanitarian, Russia, Ukraine / 01/2023 01/2023

Is Russia’s war in Ukraine a localised conflict, a regional war, or a global disaster? The military action concentrated on one country alone would suggest the first, the various nuclear- and cyber-threats against Europe the second, but global trends are increasingly confirming the third. It is possible to view the Russian invasion, and by extension …

Russia, Ukraine and Africa: Against the grain Read More »

Creating a Dictator

Articles / Corruption, Democracy, Due Diligence, Kremlin, Putin, Russia, Russian Business / 01/2023 01/2023

The quagmire of a lengthy, painful, and ultimately unsuccessful campaign in Afghanistan in the 1980s is credited with hastening the demise of the Soviet Union. History could well be repeating, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine stretches into an eleventh month and domestic discontent with Putin’s war continues to rise. Could this be the trigger that …

Creating a Dictator Read More »

Russia’s second front

Articles / Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Due Diligence, Mexico, oil and gas, Putin, Russia, Venezuela / 01/2023 01/2023

Vladimir Putin’s efforts to change the world’s balance of power requires not just a strong military, but serious influence over the world’s oil & gas markets, and to be really effective, he needs more than just Saudi Arabia and Iran on side – he needs control directly or indirectly of South America’s oil production as …

Russia’s second front Read More »

Yandex – The Moral Maze

Articles / Due Diligence, Putin, Russian Business, Technology, Yandex / 01/2023 01/2023

Yandex, ‘The Russian Google’, was hit by sanctions after the EU decided it had played an active role in spreading propaganda at the start of Putin’s war in Ukraine. Yandex’s founder, Arkady Volozh, managed to avoid personal sanctions by leaving the board and selling his shares. For Russians, Yandex was more than just another tech-giant. …

Yandex – The Moral Maze Read More »

China: Tiananmen Square 2.0

Articles / China, Democracy, Due Diligence, President Xi, Taiwan / 12/2022 12/2022

The recent unrest in China against the zero-Covid lockdown policy, spanning multiple cities and regions, certainly emulates the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. While no iconic photos of brave individuals standing in front of an army of tanks have surfaced yet, the courage of the Chinese people under authoritarian rule protesting for freedom and liberty needs …

China: Tiananmen Square 2.0 Read More »

Cryptocurrency: Step right up for a miracle?

Articles / Anti-Money Laundering, Cryptocurrencies, Due Diligence, Fraud, Organised crime / 12/2022 12/2022

As the pioneers and settlers spread out across the Wild West, a new type of person sprang up in the saloons and squares of the new world: the snake oil salesmen. These charmers would offer tonics promised to cure absolutely any ailment, for an unbelievable price, in a deal that the good townsfolk would be …

Cryptocurrency: Step right up for a miracle? Read More »

Multipolarity and the Middle East: The not-so-beautiful game

Articles / China, Due Diligence, Middle East, oil and gas, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia / 12/2022 12/2022

Four years ago, one of the defining images of the 2018 World Cup was of Vladimir Putin and Mohammed bin Salman together in the stands, sharing a joke as hosts Russia hammered Saudi Arabia five-nil. There will be no such repeat this time, given that Russia is – amazingly – too corrupt even for FIFA …

Multipolarity and the Middle East: The not-so-beautiful game Read More »

Blue or Green? The Gulf’s Hydrogen Gamble

Articles / climate, Due Diligence, Gulf, Hydrogen, Middle East, oil and gas, Saudi Arabia / 12/2022 12/2022

Hydrogen is the simplest element in our universe, formed from a single proton and electron pair. Burning hydrogen produces heat without carbon, with pure water as the only by-product. In theory, it’s the cleanest of fuels. Harnessing its power would be an elegant solution to the energy crisis – and with hydrogen representing 75 percent …

Blue or Green? The Gulf’s Hydrogen Gamble Read More »

Russia and Putin: The end of the road?

Articles / Corruption, Due Diligence, Kremlin, Putin, Russia / 12/2022 12/2022

If you drive south-east out of St. Petersburg, you find yourself on the Trans-Siberian Highway, a network of roads eleven thousand kilometres long that is, depending on your disposition towards Australia, either the longest or second-longest highway on the planet. But even eleven thousand kilometres must come to an end, and the prospect of Vladivostok …

Russia and Putin: The end of the road? Read More »

Cookie	Duration	Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional	11 months	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy	11 months	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.