Billionaire Oleg Tinkoff, founder of the online fintech bank Tinkoff, announced on Monday that he had renounced his Russian citizenship over the conflict in Ukraine, which he strongly criticized.
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“I have made the decision to renounce my Russian citizenship. I cannot and do not want to be associated with a fascist country that has started a war with its peaceful neighbor and kills innocent people every day,” Mr. Tinkov wrote on Instagram.
“I hope that other prominent Russian businessmen will follow my example, in order to weaken and ultimately defeat (Vladimir) Putin’s regime and economy,” he added.
He enclosed his letter with a copy of a certificate from the Russian Consulate confirming the expiration of his Russian citizenship.
Oleg Tinkov wrote again: “I hate Putin’s Russia, but I love all the Russians who are clearly against this crazy war!”
Tinkoff, a billionaire of color, is the founder of Tinkoff Bank, which has grown rapidly and in 2020 claimed to be the third largest retail bank in Russia after state-owned giants Sberbank and VTB. It claims to have about 20 million customers today.
He had been highly critical of Russia’s “futile” attack in Ukraine in April, calling on Westerners to help put an end to this “carnage”. One of the strongest positions issued at that time was by a Russian businessman.
Tinkov was arrested in 2020 in London at the request of the United States, which accused him of tax evasion. He was later released on bail and is undergoing treatment in London for leukemia.
He left the CEO position of Tinkoff Bank in 2020, after the latter distanced himself from his anti-attack statements.
