Prof. David Lewis Unveils New Insights on Russia's Economic Occupation in Ukraine at GWU Virtual Event

On 27 October Professor David Lewis (University of Exeter) launched his latest report "Economic Crime and Illicit Finance in Russia’s Occupation Regime in Ukraine" at a virtual event hosted by George Washington University’s Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies (IERES).

The presentation highlighted how Russia is using economic and financial tools to consolidate its control of occupied Ukrainian territory. Russia has seized many Ukrainian businesses and assets and distributed them to its allies. Ukrainian companies have been forced to pay Russian taxes, use Russian banks and sell their produce to Russian buyers. Meanwhile, Russian business has been profiting from a massive reconstruction campaign in Mariupol and other towns destroyed in the invasion. Russia's economic actions in the occupied territories involve potential war crimes and deserve much closer international attention.

This research is part of a larger project on new dynamics of Illicit Finance and Russian Foreign Policy.