A billion dollar hole in the bank account and no prospect of improvement. For many Russian businessmen, the fat years are over for the time being. Western sanctions surrounding the war in Ukraine have dwindled their fortunes. A look at the “Forbes” list yields facts. For several years, Russian businessmen dominated the ranking of wealth. Everything is different now. There are only two Russians in the top 100, the “Tages-Anzeiger” reports.
A brutal crash that leads to unsentimental decisions. Many oligarchs are turning away from President Vladimir Putin (70). Not just verbally, but also on paper. They change their citizenship, give up their Russian passport.
Oleg Tinkovy
A clear opponent of Putin. “He started a war with his peaceful neighbor and kills innocent people every day. I am sorry to keep having this passport,” Oleg Tinkov (54) wrote on Instagram. His message has since been deleted. Despite clear criticism from the Kremlin, he has been on the Western sanctions list since March. Because of his critical view of the war Tinkow had to sell his Tinkoff bank. A financial blow. Last year Forbes magazine estimated his fortune at $ 4.7 billion. It has shrunk dramatically since the start of the war. Today there is still about $ 646 million. Cypriot citizen, who suffers from leukemia, now lives in London.
Nikolaj Storonsky
It is considered one of the richest Russians: Nikolay Storonsky (38). owns $7.1 billion. How he got his money is controversial. Storonsky emphasizes that he built his fortune independently of Russia. Some see this differently and refer to his father’s activities. This is a senior manager of the Russian state gas company Gazprom. In the fall, the co-founder and CEO of the fintech startup Revolut gave up his Russian passport. Recently he is listed as British. In a blog post, he took a firm stance against the conflict in Ukraine: “This war is wrong and absolutely abhorrent,” he writes. “I demand an immediate end to the fighting and a diplomatic solution.”
Timur Turlow
Billionaire Timur Turlov (34) recently became a Kazakh citizen. After ten years in the country, the time seemed right. “I can breathe freely here,” says the owner and founder of Freedom Holding. Originally, it gave investors in the former Soviet Union access to global exchanges. There is no tangible criticism of Kremlin boss Putin. The $2.4 billion man is said to have indirectly talked about an unhealthy political climate in Russia.
Yuri Milner
Yuri Milner (60) also emphasizes that he has made his fortune outside of Russia. According to Forbes, he has $7.3 billion in his bank account. The financial expert and banker says he has not been to Russia since the annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea in 2014. Milner made a name for himself in the Internet business. First in Russia and later in the US. He collaborated with Twitter and Facebook. The man, who has had an Israeli second passport for more than 20 years and owns a Silicon Valley villa, has made no critical comments about Putin. The only accusation: he is endangering the world with his nuclear threats.
Ruben Vardanyan
The ex-owner of the investment bank Troika Dialog, Ruben Wardanyan (54), chose Armenia. In early September, he announced that he had renounced Russian citizenship. “This decision was not easy for me, but it is right,” he writes on his Telegram channel. He now lives in Armenia. In 2021, Forbes estimated his fortune at $1 billion, ranking him 116th among the 200 richest people in Russia. (nab)