Updated Nov 1, 2022 - World

Tycoon Oleg Tinkov renounces Russian citizenship over Ukraine war

Rebecca Falconer

Then-Russian businessman Oleg Tinkov attends the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg on June 6, 2019. — Businessman Oleg Tinkov attends at the 2019 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in Russia. Photo: Olga Maltseva/AFP via Getty Images

Oleg Tinkov, one of the first Russian tycoons to criticize Putin's war on Ukraine, announced Monday he's renouncing his citizenship.

Driving the news: "I have taken the decision to exit my Russian citizenship," wrote Tinkov, who's a citizen of Cyprus, Monday in an Instagram post. "I can't and won't be associated with a fascist country, that started a war with their peaceful neighbor."

Independent Russian news site Sota Vision tweeted a photo of a document indicating that Tinkov's Russian citizenship had been terminated, alongside a screenshot of his since-deleted Instagram post that criticized Russia's President Vladimir Putin and the invasion of Ukraine.

The big picture: The London-based founder of Russia's popular online bank Tinkoff is at least the fourth billionaire to renounce their Russian citizenship since the invasion of Ukraine began last February, per the Moscow Times.

Despite his public opposition to the war, the British government included Tinkov on a sanctions list in March.

Editor's note: This article has been updated to include details of Sota Vision's report and on Tinkov's Instagram post being deleted.

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Tycoon Oleg Tinkov renounces Russian citizenship over Ukraine war

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