Russian billionaire renounces his citizenship

Oleg Tinkov takes a stand against what he calls fascist Russia. Now he gives up his Russian passport.

Tinkoff founded Tinkoff Bank and thus became a billionaire. Many Norwegians may know him best as the owner of the Tour de France team that bore his name for several years.

Now he is most famous for his strong opposition to Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. He refuses to be associated with her through his nationality.

– I cannot and will not be associated with a fascist country that has started a war with a peaceful neighboring country. Tinkov says in a statement on Instagram that they kill innocent people daily.

There he also shared a photo of a document stating that his Russian citizenship will no longer apply.

BBC He writes that the image was later removed from the page. Whether Tinkov or others did so is unknown.

Tinkoff says he hopes more prominent businessmen in his homeland will follow his lead. His goal is to weaken Putin’s regime and economy, and eventually the president step down.

He has also previously criticized the war in Ukraine in strong terms. He claimed that this led to him being forced to sell his stake in Tinkoff Bank. It was he who established it in his time.

I hate Putin’s Russia

According to Tinkov, much of the Russian elite agree with him in their view of Putin and the war. Allegedly they are afraid to say what they think.

Tinkoff holds Cypriot citizenship. According to the BBC, he lives in London. However, like many other Russian oligarchs, it was badly damaged by the sanctions there.

In the post on Instagram, Tinkov added that he still has a lot of love for his people.

“I hate Putin’s Russia, but I love all the Russians who are clearly distancing themselves from this stupid war,” he wrote, according to the BBC.

The BBC wrote that another bank billionaire should have given up his Russian passport. Nikolai Storonsky holds British citizenship. He recalled his Ukrainian family connections when he gave up his Russian language.