Yury Kovalchuk | |
|---|---|
Юрий Ковальчук | |
| Born | Yury Valentinovich Kovalchuk 25 July 1951 |
| Occupation(s) | Chairman and largest shareholder, Rossiya Bank |
| Known for | "Putin's personal banker" |
| Relatives | Mikhail Kovalchuk (brother) |
| Awards | |
Yury Valentinovich Kovalchuk (Russian: Ю́рий Валенти́нович Ковальчу́к; born 25 July 1951) is a Russian billionaire businessman and financier who is "reputed to be Vladimir Putin's personal banker".[1] The Panama Papers leak revealed that Kovalchuk had transferred at least $1 billion to an offshore entity.[2]
Kovalchuk is a close friend of Putin: he hosted the wedding of Putin's daughter Katerina Tikhonova to Kirill Shamalov at his ski resort, Igora, in 2013.[3]
According to journalist Mikhail Zygar, Kovalchuk could probably be called Number 2 in today's Russia. While self-isolating from COVID-19 in 2020, Putin spent much time with Kovalchuk, and they share the view that the only important factor is to restore Russian greatness.[4] According to some experts, Kovalchuk played a role in Putin's decision to invade Ukraine in 2022.[5][6]
- ^ "Russians make leap forward on global billionaires' list". Radio Liberty. 7 March 2008. Retrieved 10 May 2008.
- ^ "Revealed: the $2bn offshore trail that leads to Vladimir Putin". the Guardian. 3 April 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- ^ "The man who married Putin's daughter and then made a fortune". Reuters. 17 December 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
- ^ BBC Newshour, March 16, 2022.
- ^ "A look at the trio who convinced Putin to invade". Yahoo News. 9 January 2023.
- ^ "How Putin blundered into Ukraine — then doubled down". Financial Times. 23 February 2023.