NEW: Russian payment firm A7 processed at least $14bn USD in raw cash rubles from Moscow markets - in bank and other payments bound predominantly for Chinese banks, according to exclusive documents obtained by @ICIJorg. icij.org/news/2026/10/kremli…

Wow. Democracy for Sale nominated for *two* British journalist awards, for investigations into Slapps and into Palantir Incredible to see a newsletter that’s barely three years old getting so much recognition Huge thanks to all our supporters!! 🎉 democracyforsale.substack.co…

Incredible - my investigations on the sanctions-busting A7 payment network for @london_reporter have been shortlisted for the Business category.

Following @te_rowley's ICIJ piece, decided to spend more time diving deeper w/ cash ledgers to understand how #A7's banking routes changed overtime. Who knew German banks were so critical to the network Check out my new piece, Bazaar Behavior, on Substack evidenceofabsence.substack.c…

A broken washing machine, a missed bus stop, unfinished work, and a moth in the spice cupboard. When you’re already exhausted by the war, even the smallest mishap can feel like the last straw. Here’s what an ordinary day looks like for a family in #Kyiv, juggling school, work, and everyday problems. Read the story👇 texty.org.ua/articles/118531…

🔴 Sad to say that Hyphen’s parent company is consulting on shutting the website and laying off all of its staff, including me. It’s obviously devastating news for a superb team whose journalism has had real impact this week alone. I’m so proud to have worked alongside them. 🧵

"Rosneft has managed to restart some refineries within weeks of an attack, only to see them struck again as repairs are completed or nearing completion. The need to repeatedly repair damaged equipment is straining operations and causing costs to pile up to levels that Rosneft officials have privately warned cannot be sustained long-term, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named to discuss sensitive information. Some plants have deliberately slowed repairs as a result, stretching work that should take days into weeks, the people said. Efforts to protect the facilities with shipping containers, nets and steel cables have proved ineffective against swarms of drones, according to company plans reviewed by Bloomberg. The damage is particularly difficult to repair when strikes hit complex secondary units such as catalytic crackers, reformers and hydrocrackers, whose parts would previously have been sourced from the West. Sanctions are compounding the problems by restricting access to replacement equipment, forcing Rosneft to rely on Russian-made copies and Chinese imports that can take months to obtain and are not always compatible with existing machinery, people familiar with the matter said. More broadly, the International Energy Agency said drone strikes on Russian refineries are having a “cumulative negative effect.” In September, the agency cut its outlook for Russian oil processing over the next 18 months to around 4 million barrels a day, roughly 30% below prewar levels." bloomberg.com/news/features/…

Today is the 100th birthday of Hemingway’s first (and arguably, greatest) novel, The Sun Also Rises, which is about youthful discontents in the years after the first world war. #thisweekthosebooks thisweekthosebooks.substack.…

🇷🇺 'In his letters, Kercso says that the staged Russian video of ​his "arrest" was filmed in mid-April in Sochi, after he ⁠had already been captured in Abkhazia, transferred to #Russia and held there for four months.' reuters.com/world/love-affai…

This is a crazy story. At its core sits a bag. A bag of cash rubles. And how a Kremlin payment firm takes that cash, counts it, and then smuggles its value out of the country - through Kyrgyzstan, and then onto Chinese banks. To the tune of $14bn USD icij.org/news/2026/10/kremli…

Huge story from @te_rowley with the @ICIJorg! Thomas broke the first A7 story and is back with another massive finding with all new data! Grateful for the opportunity to contribute icij.org/news/2026/10/kremli…

Russian payment network A7 - recently designated a "transnational criminal organisation" by the US - is about to launch a... USDT-to-SWIFT service. Upload an invoice, connect your crypto wallet, and it will pay via bank transfer to your counterparty. a7.biz/

New: US and Russian officials, including Jared Kushner and Kirill Dmitriev, have directly discussed reopening Nord Stream under US ownership, per sources WH says talks not “recent”. Dmitriev talked w Treasury and Energy last month w @johnodonnell21 reuters.com/business/energy/…

Today marks 33 years since my dad died. I was just four years old. It feels quite fitting that today, of all days, I can finally announce that my book, A Son Never Forgets: Exposing the Infected Blood Scandal, is now available to pre-order. Over the last couple of years, I’ve been quietly working away on writing it when I can. It’s part memoir, part chronology of the decade I spent on the Infected Blood campaign and perhaps most of all, it’s about telling my truth. There’s personal story about grief, family, identity and some rather unexpected discoveries along the way. There’s been laughter, tears, anger and more than a few moments where I’ve wondered how on earth my life ended up taking the turns it has. And somehow I’ve managed to squeeze it all into a book. Not bad for a lad who got a D in his English GCSE! 😄 I’m incredibly grateful to Biteback Publishing for believing in the story and helping me bring it to life. I’m also pleased to announce that every penny of my author royalties received during the first year will be donated to Holocaust remembrance charities and Child Bereavement UK. Both causes that mean a great deal to me personally. The book will be published on 26 November 2026, but you can pre-order it now from Amazon, Waterstones etc. Above all, this book is dedicated to the man whose life, and death, set me on this extraordinary journey. This one’s for you, Dad. ❤️ 📖 Pre-order here: amzn.eu/d/05hS3cAX

The death toll from the Russian strike in Pryluky is now 18, per emergency officials, including 4 children.

Leaked records show the Uzbek leader’s son-in-law, Otabek Umarov, covertly acquired Emirati citizenship – an explicit legal breach of his position at the time as deputy head of presidential security. He then went on to obtain millions in luxury Dubai real estate. buff.ly/tsyChNa

Bloody hell. A former head of the BND, Germany's foreign intelligence service, has been arrested on suspicion of espionage. sueddeutsche.de/politik/hann…

Nearly one in three Ukrainian civilians has PTSD or CPTSD, a new study finds. "31.2% of respondents met the criteria for PTSD (25.2%) or CPTSD (6%)"

The state of Ukraine’s economy and Russia much bigger destruction capacity is now the key challenge ahead of winter.

This is a very cool tool by @wwwproektmedia that allows you to track which Russian public figures - officials, businessmen - fly where, with whom, on whose jets and for how much.