Thread by @BuzzFeedNews

The US sanctioned Russian bank Promsvyazbank after the country invaded Ukraine.

Secret documents obtained by BuzzFeed News in our #FinCENFiles investigation reveal it played a role in some of the world’s largest money laundering schemes 🧵

buzzfeednews.com/article/anthon…

Promsvyazbank, commonly known as PSB, was taken over by the Russian government in 2018 in order to serve the defense industry.

But in the years before, Western banks filed secret reports about suspicious transactions.

buzzfeednews.com/article/anthon…

Secret documents show how PSB provided a conduit for anonymous shell companies to participate in global money laundering schemes — and how it gave members of Vladimir Putin’s inner circle unfettered access to America’s financial system.

buzzfeednews.com/article/anthon…

Arkady Rotenberg is one of Russia’s most influential citizens. The US first sanctioned him in 2014 for his alleged role in the annexation of Crimea. But his family was still able to tap into America’s financial system through PSB.

These documents laid the groundwork for the #FinCENFiles, an investigative series of global corruption produced in partnership with more than 100 news organizations.

buzzfeednews.com/article/jasonl…

BuzzFeed News obtained these documents from Treasury Department whistleblower Natalie Mayflower Sours Edwards.

After spending about five months behind bars for disclosing government documents to a journalist, she was released in January.

buzzfeednews.com/article/anthon…

The #FinCENFiles investigation led to sweeping reform to the global financial industry, including a stricter anti-money laundering law passed by Congress.

buzzfeednews.com/article/willfi…

Read more about the broader implications of the #FinCENFiles and what these sanctions mean for powerful banks and oligarchs during Russia’s full-scale military invasion of Ukraine.

buzzfeednews.com/fincen-files?b…