The Russian billionaire created a battalion for war in Ukraine, but did not fall under sanctions - Roszma
I received this information from their commander," the Russian Defense Ministry told reporters. In addition, the head of the Veterans Fund Specialty, who also sends the Russians for the war with Ukraine, Viktor Yarkov also confirmed that Altushkin was financing the battalion of occupiers from the Urals. The publication writes that Yarkov refused to name other sponsors, but stated that they were.
Journalists also contacted a representative of a Russian copper company owned by Altushkin, but he refused to answer questions about the billionaire's involvement in the battalion. It is reported that how much money did Altushkin donate to the Ural Battalion, how many soldiers are fighting in the unit and where they are stationed on the front. Back in February, the Russian edition of RT said that the battalion fought near Kreminna.
The material also states that Altushkin first tried to recruit soldiers for his battalion in prisons, but the head of the Wagner PEC Yevgeny Prigogin blocked this opportunity for him. Now only the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation does this. The newspaper writes that Igor Altushkin began to process non-ferrous metals scrap in the 1990s. In 2003, he founded a Russian copper company with headquarters in Yekaterinburg.
Today, the enterprise is the third largest copper in the Russian Federation. Altushkin's wealth is estimated at $ 3. 4 billion. According to journalists, neither Altushkin, nor his business nor any of his family came under the sanctions of the event. Yes, Altushkin's wife and one of his sons have UK citizenship. The billionaire himself is the owner of a mansion in London, as well as several apartments in the United Kingdom.
The material says that Altushkin often invests in the construction of churches in the Russian Federation. Especially in the Sverdlovsk region of Russia and Chechnya, where the Muslim population prevails. The publication writes that Altushkin has connections with the Kremlin. He was awarded several times by state awards, including the Order of Merit to the Motherland, the Order of Friendship, and also has the title of honorary citizen of the Sverdlovsk region.
Politico journalists said on March 4 that Russia intends to return its spies to Europe through the supply of weapons to Ukraine. According to sources, the Kremlin began to study new methods of collecting intelligence data, including: cybernetic, traditional cover and online operation. It was also reported that Putin's Exoshorotant fled abroad and gave a candid interview.