Branson calls on UK authorities to lift sanctions against Tinkov

Richard Branson, the British billionaire and founder of the Virgin Group Corporation, has called on the UK to lift sanctions against Oleg Tinkov, a Russian businessman who has publicly condemned the invasion and renounced his Russian citizenship.

Source: The Times

Branson said he had known Tinkov for 20 years and that the sanctions imposed last year were "unwarranted". The billionaire's letter was included in Tinkov's official appeal against the UK Foreign Office’s decision.

"I feel strongly that Mr Tinkov has been wrongly included on the list of sanctioned Russians. Whilst he was a wealthy Russian businessman, he has never been an oligarch. I have always known him as a self-made dynamic entrepreneur. That is why I have liked and supported him and continue to do so," Branson wrote.

The Foreign Office did not comment on Branson's appeal.

Background: In March 2022, Oleg Tinkov, the founder and former minority stakeholder of Tinkoff Bank, stated that he had been forced to sell the asset for a knockdown price because of criticism from the authorities on Instagram.

In the autumn of 2022, Tinkov said he had decided to renounce his Russian citizenship.

Russian opposition figures want those who oppose Russia's war in Ukraine to be able to evade Western sanctions, including in the case of Oleg Tinkov, who has publicly condemned the invasion and renounced his Russian citizenship.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!