Top German journalist received €600,000 from Putin ally, leak reveals
Hubert Seipel, a prominent German journalist and author known for his expertise on Russia, received at least €600,000 from companies linked to Alexei Mordashov, a Russian oligarch close to Vladimir Putin. This payment was made in undisclosed offshore transactions.
Seipel, an award-winning filmmaker, received these payments in installments, supposedly to support his work on two books that portray Putin's rise to power.
These portrayals have been described as sympathetic to the Russian president.
This situation is notable as it links a Western journalist to substantial payments potentially aimed at securing favorable media coverage for pro-Putin actors.
The disclosure of these payments is particularly significant in Germany, where there has been intense debate about the role of political and business elites in supporting Putin, especially since the Ukraine invasion.
This debate is fueled by Germany's reliance on Russian oil and gas.
Seipel, who has met Putin nearly 100 times, admitted to receiving funds from accounts linked to Mordashov but emphasized that the support was exclusively for his book projects and maintained that he had remained impartial.
The leaked documents, however, indicate that the payments were specifically for his work on two books: "Putin: Inner Views of Power" (2015) and "Putin's Power: Why Europe Needs Russia" (2021).
Seipel's publisher, Hoffmann und Campe, claimed to have had no prior knowledge of these payments and reserved the right to take further action.
The information about these transactions emerged from the Cyprus Confidential project, a leak of 3.6 million offshore records to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and other media partners.
Mordashov, a significant figure in Russia's business elite, has been sanctioned by the EU for his close ties to the Kremlin.
He was present at a meeting of business leaders at the Kremlin on the day of the Ukraine invasion.
The payments to Seipel were made through complex offshore structures and included a "Deed of Sponsorship" for a book project.
Seipel has defended himself against accusations of bias, asserting that his work has always been impartial and that no factual errors were found in his books.
However, his close access to Putin and the positive reception of his works in Russia have led to criticism and accusations of pro-Russian bias.
German broadcaster NDR has blocked access to Seipel's films pending further investigation and emphasized the importance of disclosing potential conflicts of interest.
These portrayals have been described as sympathetic to the Russian president.
This situation is notable as it links a Western journalist to substantial payments potentially aimed at securing favorable media coverage for pro-Putin actors.
The disclosure of these payments is particularly significant in Germany, where there has been intense debate about the role of political and business elites in supporting Putin, especially since the Ukraine invasion.
This debate is fueled by Germany's reliance on Russian oil and gas.
Seipel, who has met Putin nearly 100 times, admitted to receiving funds from accounts linked to Mordashov but emphasized that the support was exclusively for his book projects and maintained that he had remained impartial.
The leaked documents, however, indicate that the payments were specifically for his work on two books: "Putin: Inner Views of Power" (2015) and "Putin's Power: Why Europe Needs Russia" (2021).
Seipel's publisher, Hoffmann und Campe, claimed to have had no prior knowledge of these payments and reserved the right to take further action.
The information about these transactions emerged from the Cyprus Confidential project, a leak of 3.6 million offshore records to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and other media partners.
Mordashov, a significant figure in Russia's business elite, has been sanctioned by the EU for his close ties to the Kremlin.
He was present at a meeting of business leaders at the Kremlin on the day of the Ukraine invasion.
The payments to Seipel were made through complex offshore structures and included a "Deed of Sponsorship" for a book project.
Seipel has defended himself against accusations of bias, asserting that his work has always been impartial and that no factual errors were found in his books.
However, his close access to Putin and the positive reception of his works in Russia have led to criticism and accusations of pro-Russian bias.
German broadcaster NDR has blocked access to Seipel's films pending further investigation and emphasized the importance of disclosing potential conflicts of interest.