The strange business of Roman Abramovich
A new investigation shows how Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich hid his great wealth to avoid paying taxes. Secret documents show that companies in Cyprus wrote fake and backdated papers for him. These papers helped hide over 600 million dollars worth of luxury items, including yachts, private planes, and expensive houses.
The advisers also changed bank records, so Abramovich wouldn't have to pay millions in taxes.
Today, Abramovich faces strict sanctions in many countries because of his close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He can no longer do business in Britain, and his large superyachts are now parked in Turkey.
Experts say changing official financial records to avoid taxes is against the law.
Abramovich denies doing anything wrong and says he only followed advice from his financial team.
Continue reading — free account required
Sign up in seconds to unlock the full article, translations for every word, native audio, and typing practice that builds fluency.
In short
Roman Abramovich, a Russian billionaire, is under investigation for hiding over $600 million in assets like yachts and private planes. Secret documents show companies helped him create fake papers and change bank records to avoid paying millions in taxes. This happened before he faced strict sanctions due to his connection with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Abramovich denies any wrongdoing, saying he followed his financial team's advice. Experts, however, state that changing financial records to avoid taxes is illegal. His superyachts are now in Turkey as he can no longer do business in Britain.
This story is great for English learners! You can practice new words related to business, finance, law, and politics. You'll learn about 'sanctions,' 'billions,' 'tax evasion,' and 'investigation' in a real-world context.
Frequently asked questions
What is 'tax evasion' in simple terms?
Tax evasion means illegally avoiding paying taxes you owe to the government, often by hiding money or faking documents.
Why is Roman Abramovich facing sanctions?
He is facing strict sanctions in many countries because of his close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, especially after Russia's actions in Ukraine.
What does 'backdated papers' mean?
Backdated papers are documents that are given an earlier date than when they were actually written, often to make something appear legal or to hide something.
Why read the news to learn English?
Reading current news is one of the fastest ways to build real vocabulary. On Typebyline every article is rewritten at three levels so you always read at the level that challenges you just enough. Sign up free to unlock full articles, native audio, translations for every word, and a typing practice mode that tracks your speed and accuracy.
Learn English by typing real news — one line at a time
Typebyline turns every news article into a short typing lesson. You listen to a sentence, type it back, and tap any word to see its meaning in your own language with pronunciation and native audio. Reading, listening, spelling and vocabulary improve together, in a few quiet minutes a day.
The words blurred before her eyes.
This is the real practice screen — every line of every article works like this.
- 01
Listen to the line
Every sentence is read aloud by a native voice. Replay it as many times as you need, at the speed that suits you.
- 02
Type it back
Each letter is checked as you type. Mistakes turn red with a soft sound, so spelling and word order stick for good.
- 03
Tap any word
See the translation in your language, the IPA pronunciation, and hear the word alone. Save it to review later.
Read and type in your own language
Translations are available in 11 languages — Arabic, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Swedish, Polish, Dutch, Turkish and English. Pick your language once and every word in every article follows it.
- 🇬🇧English
- 🇸🇦العربية
- 🇪🇸Español
- 🇫🇷Français
- 🇩🇪Deutsch
- 🇮🇹Italiano
- 🇵🇹Português
- 🇸🇪Svenska
- 🇵🇱Polski
- 🇳🇱Nederlands
- 🇹🇷Türkçe
- 🇨🇳中文
- 🇮🇳हिन्दी
- 🇧🇩বাংলা
- 🇵🇰اردو
- 🇷🇺Русский
- 🇯🇵日本語
- 🇰🇷한국어
- 🇮🇩Bahasa Indonesia
- 🇬🇧English
- 🇸🇦العربية
- 🇪🇸Español
- 🇫🇷Français
- 🇩🇪Deutsch
- 🇮🇹Italiano
- 🇵🇹Português
- 🇸🇪Svenska
- 🇵🇱Polski
- 🇳🇱Nederlands
- 🇹🇷Türkçe
- 🇨🇳中文
- 🇮🇳हिन्दी
- 🇧🇩বাংলা
- 🇵🇰اردو
- 🇷🇺Русский
- 🇯🇵日本語
- 🇰🇷한국어
- 🇮🇩Bahasa Indonesia
Three levels of every article
The same news story is rewritten for beginner, intermediate and advanced learners, in short sentences of 6–13 words.
Difficult words explained
Key vocabulary from each news article comes with a simple English explanation you can read before you start.
Save words and sentences
Anything you save goes to your own list, and new practice sentences can be generated from the words you saved.
New stories every day
Fresh world news is added continuously, so you always practise with English people are actually using today.
Start learning English free
Create a free account to unlock full articles, native audio, word translations and typing practice.
Create free account