What happened? The founder of russia's Tinkoff Bank, businessman Oleg Tinkov, said he was forced to sell his share of the bank “for kopecks” after he had publicly spoken out against the war with Ukraine.
Source. He said that in an interview for The New York Times.
Details. On April 19, Tinkov posted an Instagram post in which he criticized the russian army and russian support of the war with Ukraine. The next day, the russian presidential administration contacted the bank's management and threatened to nationalize the bank if Tinkov remained a shareholder.
Tinkov sold his 35% in Tinkoff Bank to “Interros” group of russian oligarch Vladimir Potanin. The bank announced the decision to rebrand itself and abandon the surname of the founder in the name of the bank.
“I couldn’t discuss the price. It was like a hostage – you take what you are offered. I couldn’t negotiate,” Tinkov described the sale of shares. According to him, Potanin paid him no more than 3% of the real value of this share.
“They made me sell it because of my pronouncements. I sold it for kopecks,” the banker complained. At the same time, he expressed gratitude for being allowed to receive at least some money.
Tinkov also hired security guards after his friends with contacts in the russian security services told him he should fear for his life. The businessman joked that although he had survived leukemia, the kremlin might “kill him”.
Previously. russian oligarch Oleg Tinkov was selling all his russian assets. The billionaire said he wanted to live “normally” and “not here [in russia]”.