Oleg Tinkov (54) was one of the first and so far only oligarchs to speak out against his country’s invasion of Ukraine. He came under enormous pressure from the Putin regime and had to sell his family shares in the Tinkoff Bank he founded. On Monday, the multimillionaire explained on Instagram that he “cannot and will not be associated with a fascist country. I have made the decision to renounce my Russian citizenship.”
The reference to fascism is significant, as Russian President Vladimir Putin (70) justified the invasion of Ukraine with the “denazification” of the country.
Tinkow, he writes, does not want to be associated with a country “that has started a war with its peaceful neighbor and kills innocent people every day. It is a shame for me to continue to have this passport.”
Hoping for followers
Tinkow joins a growing list of wealthy Russians who, like Nikolay Storonsky (38), co-founder and CEO of fintech startup Revolut, are giving up their citizenship because of the “absolutely despicable” war. Billionaire Silicon Valley investor Yuri Milner (60) recently announced that he would give up his Russian citizenship in August.
In the Instagram post, which has since been deleted, Tinkov expresses his hope that more Russian business magnates will give up their citizenship “to weaken Putin’s regime and his economy and eventually defeat him. I hate Putin’s Russia, but I love all Russians who are clearly against this crazy war!”.
In April, he published a post on Instagram full of swear words about Russia’s “insane war”. Moscow promptly launched a smear campaign against him. Despite selling his banking shares, Tinkow remains under UK sanctions. (keep)