Putin – KCS Group Europe Ltd

The poisoned chalice: Is Russia’s powerbase fracturing?

Articles / Due Diligence, Geopolitics, Kremlin, Politics, Putin, Russia / 05/2024

In recent years, cracks have been seen within the upper echelons of Russian political power, signaling potential shifts that could fundamentally alter the leadership landscape. This dynamic situation stems from a blend of aging leaders, internal challenges and geopolitical pressures, suggesting that change may be on the horizon. Historically, leadership transitions in Russia have witnessed [...]

The poisoned chalice: Is Russia’s powerbase fracturing? Read More »

Prigozhin’s death – the cracks are beginning to show

Articles / Africa, Due Diligence, mercenary, Putin, Russia, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin / 09/2023

Yevgeny Prigozhin’s death in August 2023 has sent shockwaves through the geopolitical community. The alleged founder of the infamous Wagner Group, Prigozhin, was also a Russian oligarch and close aide to President Vladimir Putin. The killing of Wagner’s leadership will have significant negative security consequences for the individuals, continents and countries caught up in the

Prigozhin’s death – the cracks are beginning to show Read More »

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t – Putin and the BRICS summit

Articles / Brazil, BRICS, China, Due Diligence, India, Putin, Russia:Ukraine conflict, South Africa / 08/2023

Putin’s decision to avoid the BRICS summit is not all it seems. Between 22 and 24 August, South Africa will have the honour of hosting the 2023 annual BRICS summit. The big names – Brazil, India, China and the hosts, South Africa – will be present in full force. The Russian President will not. BRICS

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t – Putin and the BRICS summit Read More »

Evgeny Prigozhin

Articles / Africa, Corruption, Due Diligence, mercenary, Putin, Russia:Ukraine conflict, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin / 06/2023

Evgeny Prigozhin is an ex-con who has served time in a Russian prison. He is also a thug and a bully who has plied his trade (leading the mercenary group, Wagner) across Africa for some years. Wagner, led by Prigozhin, has made millions by killing and destroying anything that stands in its way, for whatever

Evgeny Prigozhin Read More »

Georgia – the second front of the U.S./Russia economic proxy war?

Articles / Corruption, counter-terrorism, DueDiligence, Georgia, money-laundering, Putin, Russia, TBC Bank, USA / 04/2023

Revelations of corruption, money laundering and embezzlement from within the banking industry in Georgia does not, in and of itself, cause much surprise: that investigations by the Georgian Prosecutor's Office (coming to a head in 2019 ) resulting in charges of money laundering against several senior directors - Mamuka Khazaradze, the founder, his deputy Badri

Georgia – the second front of the U.S./Russia economic proxy war? Read More »

Georgia: The song remains the same

Articles / Conflict, Cybercrime, Due Diligence, Georgia, money-laundering, NATO, Putin / 04/2023

As the fifteen-year anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s first attempt at recreating the Soviet Union approaches, the 2008 invasion of Georgia and the brief conflict that resulted needs to be reassessed: both as a military offensive on its own terms, and as part of a Kremlin grand strategy that has only intensified in the years since.

Georgia: The song remains the same Read More »

Divide and conquer: The Kremlin’s gambit

Articles / Corruption, Due Diligence, Kremlin, Oligarchs, Putin, Russia, Sanctions, Sergei Shoigu, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Yuri Kovalchuk / 03/2023

Petrov’s Defence, known popularly as the Russian Game, is a chess opening based around symmetry: the second player matching the moves of the first through pawn, knight and so on, in a game that has a reputation for leading to protracted, difficult draws unless a player can seize upon a momentary advantage that may come

Divide and conquer: The Kremlin’s gambit Read More »

Modi, Putin and the future of India: Does truth still triumph?

Articles / China, Corruption, Democracy, Due Diligence, India, President Modi, Putin, Russia / 02/2023

If great minds think alike, then so too must great dictators. As the world emerged from pandemic lockdowns in December 2021, Russia’s President Putin made Narenda Modi of India the subject of only his second international visit in almost two years, and the first in a subsequent line of appearances in autocracies across Central Asia,

Modi, Putin and the future of India: Does truth still triumph? Read More »

Creating a Dictator

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

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 »

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.