Data Sources Season 5

Weapons training with Wagner-linked militia members, patriotic songs and the glorification of Russia are part of the program at Artek, a Russian summer camp in annexed Crimea. European and Ukrainian children are sent there, raising questions about how the Kremlin has turned a holiday destination into a tool of propaganda.

At the crossroads of Phoenician, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic civilizations, Syria is home to one of the world’s richest archaeological heritages. Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in late 2024, the country’s instability has fueled a dramatic increase in the looting of archaeological sites. An investigation into the illegal antiquities trade that has since flourished online.

In early 2025, Data Sources exposed illegal exports of embargoed goods from Europe to Russia, including luxury cars and precision machinery. The revelations prompted a criminal investigation in Germany and questions in the Italian parliament. An Italian company suspected, according to customs data, of illegally exporting a high-end machine tool threatened the newsroom with legal action—but the investigation continued. Now, Data Sources presents new evidence suggesting the machine was indeed sent to Russia. After reviewing hundreds of documents and investigating specialist Telegram groups, the journalists located a similar machine in a Russian factory. A Kazakh intermediary also explained how the sanctions are circumvented. The investigation reveals further suspected illegal exports: in 2024, machinery from another company was allegedly delivered through the same network to a Russian energy-sector firm, with a total value of around €300,000.