“I have decided to renounce my Russian citizenship. I do not want and do not want to be associated with a fascist country that starts wars with peaceful neighbors and kills innocent people every day,” Mr Tingov wrote on Instagram. .
“I hope other prominent Russian businessmen will follow my example to weaken and ultimately defeat (Vladimir) Putin’s regime and its economy,” he added.
He accompanied his message with a photo of a certificate from the Russian Embassy confirming the end of his Russian citizenship.
“I hate Putin’s Russia, but I love all Russians who are clearly against this crazy war!” Oleg Tingov wrote back.
A colorful billionaire, Mr Tingov is the founder of Tinkoff Bank, which has grown rapidly and said it would be Russia’s third-largest retail bank in 2020, behind state-owned giants Sberbank and VDP. It claims to have around 20 million customers today.
He strongly criticized the “ridiculous” Russian offensive in Ukraine in April, calling on the West to help end the “carnage”. This was one of the strongest positions given by a Russian businessman at that time.
At the request of the United States, which accused Mr. Dingov was arrested in London in 2020. Later he was released on bail and was suffering from leukemia and was undergoing treatment in London.
He stepped down as CEO of Tinkoff Bank in 2020 after the latter distanced himself from his offensive statements.
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