After these light chores, I get drawn into The Guardian’s coverage about the protests that have taken place in Russia over the weekend. A few days ago, the Russian opposition figure, Alexei Navalny, released a two hour video exposé into Vladimir Putin’s wealth — it can be viewed on YouTube (I watched it all, following along in Russian for the most part but it has English subtitles). The video features some never-before-seen details of an extravagant palace build on the Black Sea (pictured in the photo below), and explains in detail how Putin’s various cronies and family members are part of an intricate web of shell companies to funnel money to him.
At the end of the film, a list of supporting organisations scrolls and I notice the acronym OCCRP — this is the organisation I’m interviewing for this next week! I still need to do some more research and prep in advance of the phone call, but I’ve already looked up the organisation’s tax filings. They are a 501(c)(3) organisation that is incorporated in the U.S. and are supported by a variety of progressive foundations, USAID/State Department, and some European institutions, with a budget of $10-$20 million per year. From what I can tell, they’ve had a finance manager/director in the past but the CFO position must be something new. I’ll learn more about it on Wednesday when the phone interview is scheduled.
This evening my friend CJ calls for a quick chat, and then I listen in to my friend M who’s DJing 80s music on a Dublin internet radio station. I had some leftover chili for lunch, and tonight’s dinner will be a pre-made chicken & broccoli bake from SuperValu.
Until next time….
