Filenews 13 April 2022 - by Angelos Nikolaou
The Council of Ministers decided to deprive a total of 21 people of naturalization at its last meeting, after the inclusion in the commission's sanctions list of four Russians who were granted a golden passport by the Republic of Cyprus in the last decade.
The decision to annul citizenships includes four Russians, their spouses and their children. Russians active in Cyprus are on the EU sanctions list, and are linked to Russia's continued invasion of Ukraine. According to information from the "F" deprivation of the status of Cypriot citizen, it was decided to impose on Mikhail Gutseriev, Alexander Ponomarenko, Vadim Moskovic, Alexei Kuzmitsev and their family members.
The decision of the Ministry was taken on the basis of article 113 of the Civil Registry Law, as amended by Law 113(I)/2020, and includes the provisions concerning the deprivation of the status of Cypriot citizen and the procedure through which it is carried out. Based on the audit carried out by the competent authorities of the Republic of Cyprus on the Commission's lists, sanctions were identified against only four Russians, who obtained a "golden" passport.
The Commission's list so far includes 1,100 people, high-ranking Kremlin officials, oligarchs, other prominent businessmen operating in key economic sectors, such as energy, economy, media, defence and arms industry, as well as "supporters of disinformation and information manipulation, who systematically spread the Kremlin's false narrative about the situation in Ukraine", according to the Commission. The list also includes family members of persons who have already been sanctioned for benefiting from the regime or to prevent circumvention of EU sanctions. The EU's restrictive measures also apply to 83 entities that are subject to an asset freeze, while EU citizens and companies are prohibited from making funds available to them. In addition, natural persons are subject to a travel ban, under which they are not allowed to enter or transit the territory of the EU.
One of the main shareholders of the Alfa Group
The last Russian with a Cypriot passport to be included in the Commission's list is Alexei Kuzmitsev on 15/3/2022. His fortune exceeds $6.6 billion and his name is among the richest people in the world, based on the Forbes list in 2022, while previously his fortune was estimated at $8.8 billion.
Het belongs to the close circle of Vladimir Putin. One of the main shareholders of the Alfa Group, born on 15/10/1962 in Kirov, Russia. Alexei Kuzmitsev was naturalized as a Cypriot on 28/2/2019, followed by his wife and three children.
He is the main shareholder of the Alfa Group, which includes Alfa Bank, one of Russia's largest taxpayers. He is believed to be one of the most influential figures in Russia. He has established ties with the President of Russia. Vladimir Putin's eldest daughter (Maria) was responsible for a charity project called Alfa-Endo, which was funded by Alfa Bank. Vladimir Putin rewarded Alfa Group for its dedication to the Russian authorities by providing political assistance to the group's plans for foreign investment.
One of the largest landowners in Russia
Vadim Moskovic, one of the largest landowners in Russia and with a strong operational interest in Cyprus, received the Cyprus passport after operating on the island on 15/2/2017. His wife and three children followed. Moskovic owns Granada Capital cy and Rusagro plc in Cyprus. Born on 6/4/1967 in Moscow, Moskovic owns the board of directors of the Rusagro Group with business interests in agriculture and real estate development. In 2004, Vadim Moshkovich founded the Rusagro Group, which is a major producer of pork, fats and sugar. As a result, Moskovic was targeted by the Commission because he is active in economic sectors that provide an important source of revenue to the government of the Russian Federation. He also remains a minority shareholder of Sberbank.
His name was included in the EU sanctions on 9/3/2022, where it is stated that on 24 February 2022, in the wake of the initial stages of the Russian offensive against Ukraine, along with 36 other businessmen, he met with President Putin and other members of the Russian government to discuss the impact of the course of action following the sanctions imposed by the West. The fact that he was invited to attend this meeting proves that he is a member of Vladimir Putin's closest entourage and that he supports or implements actions or policies that undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, as well as stability and security in Ukraine.
He financed Putin's palace
Alexander Ponomarenko and chairman of the board of directors of Sheremetyevo International Airport acquired the Cypriot citizenship on 26/5/2016. He was born on 27/10/1964 in the city of Bilohirsk, Ukraine. Cypriot citizenship was acquired by all three of his children.
Ponomarenko was sanctioned on 28/2/2022 for having close ties with other oligarchs linked to Vladimir Putin, as well as sergei Axionov, leader of the so-called "Republic of Crimea" on the territory of the illegally annexed Crimean peninsula.
He was involved in the financing of the luxurious building complex near Gelendzhik, believed to be used personally by President Vladimir Putin.
A close friend of Lukashenko's
Mikhail Gutseriev is a prominent Russian businessman with interests in Belarus in the fields of energy, potash, hospitality and others. He was born in Akmolinsk, Kazakhstan on 9/5/1958. He has been Cypriot since 30/10/2013, while later his Cypriot citizenship was acquired by his cohabitatee and his five children. He is an old friend of the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko and thanks to this fact he has accumulated considerable wealth and influence among the political elite in Belarus. "Safmar", a company controlled by Gukeriev, was the only Russian oil company that continued to supply oil to the Belarusian refineries during the energy crisis between Belarus and Russia in early 2020. Guchereyev was sanctioned on 6/21/2021.
