Oleg Tinkov, pictured here in 2013, says other wealthy Russians should follow his lead in standing up against Putin and the Ukraine war.
Keystone / Sang Tan
Russian billionaire Oleg Tinkov has called on Russian oligarchs to have the courage to oppose Vladimir Putin and to condemn the war in Ukraine.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch/mga
Español
es
El suizo Tinkov tacha de “cobardes” a los oligarcas rusos
Diagnosed with leukemia, Tinkov now lives in Switzerland, according to the Financial Times. It is unclear whether he has Swiss citizenship.
Tinkov gave an interview to the newspaper after Britain over-turned sanctions against him this week, urging members of the Russian business elite to follow his lead.
“They need to pick a chair and sit on it. Sitting between two chairs like they did for the last 30 years, with a house in Belgravia [a high-end district of London] and being friends with Putin, doesn’t work anymore,” he said.
“Lots of them stopped talking to me because they’re scared. I stopped talking to others because they are cowards.”
Tinkov says he was forced to sell a majority stake in his bank, Tinkoff, to oligarch Vladimir Potanin last year. Switzerland has imposed sanctions against Tinkoff bank but not against Tinkov himself.
Despite facing the potential threat of assassination by Putin, Tinkov says that Britain’s decision to reverse the “mistake” of imposing sanctions on him could inspire other wealthy Russians.
His legal victory “can show other Russian businessmen — who are united around Putin thanks to sanctions — that you can make a statement and leave Russia for the civilised world.”
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Switzerland has frozen CHF7.5 billion ($8.7 billion) of assets belonging to oligarchs plus CHF7.4 billion of Russian central bank reserves.
More
More
Oligarch Melnichenko ‘may be forced to leave Switzerland’: media report
This content was published on
Switzerland poised to boot out resident Russian oligarch Andrey Melnichenko, according to a newspaper report.
Should raw milk sales be banned or should consumers decide?
Swiss food regulations do not allow raw milk to be sold for direct consumption. However, a loophole allows 400 raw milk vending machines to do just that.
Swiss national among five survivors rescued after tourist yacht sank in Egypt’s Red Sea
This content was published on
Egyptian naval forces rescued five people on Tuesday, including a Swiss citizen, and recovered four bodies, a day after a tourist yacht carrying 44 passengers sank in the Red Sea.
Swiss authorities complete 75% of foreign criminal expulsion orders
This content was published on
Swiss courts ordered the expulsion of 2,250 foreign offenders in 2023. By mid-2024, around 73% of them had left Switzerland, either voluntarily or under police escort.
Initiative launched for tougher environmental rules for Swiss financial industry
This content was published on
An alliance of political parties and business and environmental groups has launched a people's initiative calling for stricter environmental rules for the Swiss finance sector.
Explosion at Geneva apartment building leaves young girl seriously injured
This content was published on
A young girl was seriously injured on November 25 after an explosion in an apartment building in the Grange-Canal district of Geneva, the Office of the Attorney General of Geneva has confirmed.
Thawing permafrost threatens dozens of mountain huts in Switzerland
This content was published on
Over one-third of Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) mountain huts could be unstable in the future due to thawing permafrost, according to a study.
Swiss study finds language distorts ChatGPT information on armed conflicts
This content was published on
Millions of people engage with and seek information from ChatGPT and other large language models. But how are the responses given by these models shaped by the language in which they are asked?
This content was published on
The Swiss public has named the robin as Bird of the Year 2025. With its familiar red breast and distinctive song, the robin is one of the most common bird species in Switzerland, found in gardens and forests.
Authorities underestimated severe weather risks in southern Switzerland
This content was published on
Violent storms hit the Misox valley in southern Switzerland in June, causing severe damage and two fatalities. New analysis, presented on Monday, shows that authorities underestimated some of the dangers.
Switzerland and Italy announce closer police and migration cooperation
This content was published on
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi and his Swiss counterpart, Beat Jans, met in the border town of Chiasso in southern Switzerland on Monday.
This content was published on
Geneva police carried out a major operation in the east of the city on Monday, following reports that a parcel bomb had exploded in an apartment building and injured one person.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Russia sanctions: Switzerland makes EU ‘partners’ list
This content was published on
The European Union formally considers Switzerland a partner country in the implementation of sanctions against Russia over its war on Ukraine.
US adds Swiss ‘facilitators’ and firms to Russian sanctions list
This content was published on
Three Swiss citizens and two companies have been added to the United States sanctions list for supporting Russian Oligarchs.
This content was published on
Fifteen months after attending Trump's presidential inauguration, Vekselberg was placed under crippling sanctions by his administration.
This content was published on
Switzerland makes an “extraordinary effort” to enforce sanctions against Russian oligarchs and entities, according to the official in charge of coordinating measures.
Switzerland has to ‘go above and beyond’ to implement sanctions
This content was published on
The war in Ukraine should be a turning point for Switzerland to change its mindset on transparency, says financial crime expert Tom Keatinge.
Swiss sanction 30 more individuals after Russian annexations
This content was published on
The Swiss government has added 30 people and seven organisations to its blacklist after Russia annexed four regions of Ukraine.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.