E66: How Russian money still flows through Europe

Following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia became the most-sanctioned country in the world – with more than 14,000 sanctions currently in place. Despite this, the intricate and undisclosed relationships between the Russian nationals and European businesses remain intact and active. This is best demonstrated by the story we're focussing on today: a French businessman allegedly putting specialist microchips into the hands of the Russian military through a complex chain of transactions. In this week's episode – our expert host, Marit Rødevand, is joined by Financial Times journalists Max Seddon and Chris Cook . The panel discuss: what Russia is smuggling from Europe, how these trades continue to operate amid heavy sanctions, and the real world consequences of thes