Weekender: Moscow Cartoons, Libya's Money Man, and the Oligarch Playbook

Welcome to Whale Hunting. I’m Bradley, and this week’s selection starts with a Moscow animation company tied to Iran and the Houthis, the financial operator helping keep eastern Libya’s system running, and a strong piece on the alliances between oligarchs and political power.

So, what’s caught our eye this week?

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What we've been reading

Cartoons For Kids, Cash For Iran, Weapons For Houthis: A Web Woven In Moscow (RFE/RL / Systema)

This is the kind of story Whale Hunting readers will recognize immediately: start with something that looks harmless, then keep following it until you end up somewhere much darker. In this case it is a Moscow animation company whose business ties lead toward Iranian commercial interests and, ultimately, the Houthis.

What makes the piece work is its sense of method. The front is not glamorous. It is just plausible enough to sit there in plain view while more serious business moves through it.