Three Whales after 20 years: iStories digs up one of the Putin administration’s earliest corruption scandals and finds new links to the Kremlin

More than 20 years ago, when Russia still had public politics and the Putin administration faced scandals that weren't only international, customs inspectors tied a contraband scheme involving several furniture companies to senior officials in the Federal Security Service (FSB). Though the Three Whales Case, as it became known, pitted various "clans" within Russia's national security apparatus against each other, it ended with just a few minor convictions despite evidence of bribery and obstruction of justice. President Putin took direct control of the investigation, but it was State Duma deputy and journalist Yuri Shchekochikhin who pursued the case most aggressively. In July 2003, shortly before he was scheduled to visit the United States to share case materials with the FBI, Shchekochikhin fell ill and soon died. Officially, he succumbed to a rare allergic reaction, but friends and colleagues suspect that Shchekochikhin was poisoned. iStories correspondent Roman Shleinov was one of those longtime coworkers. In a new investigative report, Shleinov says he's finally pieced together evidence from the Three Whales Case that ties the investigation's suspects to members of Vladimir Putin's inner circle. Meduza summarizes these findings. Original Article: https://meduza.io/en/feature/2021/08/25/three-whales-after-20-years