Russian President Vladimir Putin's former judo sparring partner, Vasily Anisimov, has left Russia and obtained Croatian citizenship, documents show.
Billionaire Anisimov, founder of the real estate development company Coalco International, and former president of the Russian Judo Federation, was granted citizenship in Croatia, according to a notice he filed with Companies House in the U.K. on June 2.
On September 26, the businessman also filed a notice to change his main place of residence to Switzerland. Anisimov notified U.K. authorities about the changes as he is a co-owner of the British Degevol UK LTD.
Anisimov served as president of the Russian Judo Federation for 12 years but was replaced in September by 57-year-old Sergei Soloveichik after the billionaire resigned citing family circumstances. Soloveichik formerly headed the European Judo Union.
On October 12, Putin awarded Anisimov with the "Order of Merit for the Fatherland" for his "contribution to the development of physical culture and popularization of national sports."
This is a state decoration of the Russian Federation and is awarded for outstanding contributions to the country.
Several billionaires have renounced their Russian citizenship since Putin invaded Ukraine on February 24.
On October 10 Yuri Milner, one of the 15 richest people in Russia, joined the growing list.
"My family and I left Russia for good in 2014, after the Russian annexation of Crimea," Milner tweeted. "And this summer, we officially completed the process of renouncing our Russian citizenship."
Milner, 60, founder of the internet investment firm DST Global, is the richest Russian in Silicon Valley. He relocated to California after becoming an Israeli citizen in 1999.
In September, Ruben Vardanyan, former chief executive officer and shareholder of the Troika Dialog investment bank, renounced his Russian citizenship, saying he would be moving to the Armenian-majority breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan.
The 54-year-old said he holds an Armenian passport, and that he had been offered the position of state minister by Arayik Harutyunyan, the de facto leader of the region.
"Using myself as an example, I want to show how important Artsakh is for me and for all of us," Vardanyan said in a Facebook video posted on September 1, using the Armenian name for the territory.
"After the 2020 war, we Armenians around the world have an obligation to be together with the people of Artsakh. We should not just offer moral support, but concrete help."
And in June, Timur Turlov, who founded the U.S.-listed Freedom Finance Investment company, renounced his Russian citizenship.
The 34-year-old billionaire said Kazakhstan, where he has been living with his family for more than a decade, had granted him citizenship.
Newsweek has contacted Russia's foreign ministry for comment.
Do you have a tip on a world news story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about the Russia-Ukraine war? Let us know via worldnews@newsweek.com.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Isabel van Brugen is a Newsweek Reporter based in Kuala Lumpur. Her focus is reporting on the Russia-Ukraine war. Isabel ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
