Russian banking tycoon Oleg Tinkov renounced his Russian citizenship on Tuesday in a rebuke to Russia President Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
“I decided to renounce my Russian citizenship after Russia invasion of independent Ukraine. I am against this war, and the killing of peaceful people,” Tinkov wrote in a post on Instagram Monday. “I can’t and won’t be associated with a fascist country that started a war with their peaceful neighbor and killing innocent people daily.”
“I hope more prominent Russian businessmen will follow me, so it weakens Putin’s regime and his economy, and put him eventually to defeat,” Tinkov’s original post had said. “I hate Putin’s Russia, but love all Russians who are clearly against this crazy war!”
The post was taken down but independent Russian news media Sota Vision shared a screen shot of the post as well as Tinkov’s certificate showing that his citizenship has been terminated.
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Tinkov, the founder of Tinkoff Bank, has been a critic of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine since the early days of the war. In April, he was forced to sell his 35% stake in Tinkoff Bank’s parent company, TCS, to Russian billionaire Vladimir Potanin, after he made several comments criticizing the war in Ukraine, NBC News reports.
Tinkov was one of 65 individuals and entities sanctioned by the United Kingdom in March after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In a post on Instagram Tuesday, Tinkov blamed “Kremlin trolls” for the disappearance of his original post renouncing his Russian citizenship and announced he is taking legal action to force the bank to stop using this name.
“My name should not be associated with fascism,” Tinkov said. “I hate when my brand/name is associated with the bank that collaborates with killers and blood.”
Tinkov is the second Russian tycoon to renounced Russian citizenship since the war in Ukraine began.
According to CNN, Nikolay Storonsky, the co-founder and CEO of Revolut, has also given up his Russian citizenship.
“His position on the war is on the public record: the war is totally abhorrent and he remains resolute in calling for an immediate end to the fighting,” a Revolut spokesperson told the network.
