SAWT BEIRUT INTERNATIONAL

| 29 March 2024, Friday |

Billionaire Yuri Milner gives up Russian citizenship over Ukraine war

“My family and I left Russia for good in 2014, after the Russian annexation of Crimea,” said said the founder of internet investment firm DST Global, Israeli-Russian billionaire Yuri Milner, renouncing his Russian citizenship. “And this summer, we officially completed the process of renouncing our Russian citizenship.” He added

A factsheet on DST Global’s website says that Milner has been an Israeli citizen since 1999 and has not visited Russia since 2014. It further states that Milner has no assets in Russia, 97 per cent of his personal wealth was created outside of the country and “Yuri has never met Vladimir Putin, either individually or in a group”

Milner’s non-profit Breakthrough Prize Foundation has condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Milner has said he stands behind those statements.

“As the terrible war in Ukraine continues, with casualties and atrocities mounting, the Breakthrough Prize Foundation strongly condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its unprovoked and brutal assaults against the civilian population,” it said in a statement in March.

Milner’s foundations have donated at least $11 million to help refugees from Ukraine and scientists forced to flee the country, according to DST Global.

Milner’s ties to Russia have been a subject of discussion in the Silicon Valley. His firm sought to distance itself from Russia’s actions in Ukraine and the sanctions imposed by western nations. The Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimates Milner’s wealth at about $3.5 billion. His firm has also invested in tech giants like Facebook, now Meta Platforms Inc., and Twitter Inc.

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