Kazakh-born businessman Vasily Anisimov is at least the seventh billionaire to renounce his Russian citizenship after the invasion of Ukraine, Forbes Russia reported Thursday, citing documents provided by the exiled oligarch.
Anisimov, the former owner of the license for the “Putinka” vodka brand and the real estate holding Coalco, is reportedly listed as a citizen of Croatia.
Forbes said it had received documents from Anisimov, 72, showing that he was no longer a citizen of Russia as of September 2022.
British media previously reported that company records in London showed him having changed his citizenship from Russian to Croatian in mid-2022.
It was not immediately clear whether President Vladimir Putin signed off on annulling Anisimov’s Russian citizenship, as he has done with other wealthy businessmen, such as Armenian-born oligarch Ruben Vardanyan.
Anisimov received his first Croatian passport in 2003 and has since invested $11 million in the EU member’s economy, according to Forbes.
The news outlet added that it was assured by Anisimov that he had transferred control of his Russian assets to local managers.
He now travels in and out of Russia on a business visa, according to Forbes.
Anisimov was among 210 wealthy Russians linked to Putin whom the U.S. Treasury included in its so-called “Kremlin list” in 2018 for alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Forbes estimates the businessman’s current net worth at $1.6 billion.
