Kremlin responds to reports of Russian businessmen renouncing Russian citizenship

Russian businessmen Nikolai Storonsky and Oleg Tinkov have every right to renounce Russian citizenship, taking into consideration the fact that they have almost no business left in the country, Kremlin's official spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters November 1, RBC reports.

"In fact, they do not act as participants in our country's business life. That's all I can say," the Kremlin spokesman said.

Nikolai Storonsky, the founder of Revolut fintech service, decided to renounce Russian citizenship, company representatives said on October 31. At the same time, it was not specified when exactly the businessman made such a decision. It was only said that it happened before October 19, when Ukraine imposed sanctions against his father, Nikolai Storonsky Sr., General Director of Gazprom Promgaz.

Oleg Tinkov, the founder of Tinkoff Bank, announced a similar decision the same day, October 31. According to Oleg Tinkov, he does not agree with the policy of the Russian authorities and condemns the special military operation in Ukraine. He also said that he considered himself a patriot and a "true hero” of Russia. The certificate of renunciation of citizenship that he published on social media was dated from October 26.

The next day, Tinkov announced his intention to withdraw the Tinkoff brand from the bank that he founded. However, bank representatives said that they had acquired all the rights to the brand.