The Trawl Meets Sir Bill Browder

The Trawl Meets Sir Bill Browder

From The Trawl by Jemma Forte & Marina Purkiss

April 19, 2026 · 58 min

About this episode

The episode features an interview with Sir Bill Browder discussing his experiences with corruption in Russia and the global implications of kleptocracy.

The Trawl  sits down with Sir Bill Browder, the man Vladimir Putin would very much prefer stayed quiet. From exposing corruption at the heart of the Kremlin to spearheading the global Magnitsky sanctions, Browder’s story is part financial thriller, part political crusade. He joins The Trawl to talk oligarchs, accountability, and why the fight against kleptocracy is far from over.  In the first half, Jemma and Marina dive into Bill's extraordinary life story from the wild west of post-Soviet Russia, to exposing corruption among powerful oligarchs, being expelled from the country, and the devastating death of his lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky. It’s a deeply personal account of risk, loss, and a relentless pursuit of justice that led to the creation of the Magnitsky sanctions. In the second half, they shift to present day and unpack the current geopolitical moment. From Russia’s global strategy and the war in Ukraine to questions around Western sanctions, disinformation, and political influence in the UK, Browder helps make sense of an increasingly unstable world and what it all means for democracy. It’s a conversation that moves from the intensely personal…

People in this episode

Hosts: Jemma Forte, Marina Purkiss

Guest: Sir Bill Browder

Topics covered

  • corruption
  • geopolitics
  • kleptocracy
  • sanctions
  • oligarchs
  • justice

Keywords

  • Bill Browder
  • Kremlin
  • Magnitsky sanctions
  • corruption
  • Ukraine
  • oligarchs
  • justice
  • geopolitics

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Kremlin, Magnitsky sanctions

Places: Russia, Ukraine, UK

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