SOC ACE organised a workshop on: "New dynamics in illicit economies and conflict after the Russian invasion of Ukraine” at the recent Conflict Research Society (CRS) Annual Conference exploring new research from the SOC ACE programme.

New research examines the practices used to evade sanctions imposed on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, focusing on the import–export operations of Russia, Belarus, Georgia, and Kazakhstan. Sanctions intended to undermine Russia’s military capacity, have inadvertently bolstered informal trade networks fuelling its military funds.

Illicit Financial Flows (IFF) includes a wide range of illicit and illegal cross-border financial activities, including high-level corruption, money-laundering, and sanctions evasion. This paper provides an analytical overview of how Russian actors and proxies are using IFF to support Russian foreign policy goals.

Organised crime actors can be spoilers in peace processes or partners in peace. This new review paper demonstrates the importance of creating a framework for engaging with criminality and organised crime groups that extends beyond confrontation – allowing for accommodation and incorporating a wider societal change agenda through transformation.

Cathy Haenlein, Sasha Erskine, Elijah Glantz & Tom Keatinge of RUSI have recently had their SOC ACE research on ’Targeted sanctions and organised crime,’ published in Australasian Policing Journal. This research explores the existing evidence base on the effectiveness of sanctions as a tool to disrupt serious and organised crime.