A group of Russian billionaires have reportedly been using their companies—some of which have dodged Western sanctions—to funnel mercenaries to the regular Russian army for the war against Ukraine.
against it, is allegedly at the center of one such scheme. According to iStories, a company owned by Deripaska’s Rusal–Russia’s largest aluminum producer–is bankrolling a volunteer battalion called Sokol. The battalion is officially considered a part of the Russian military, but financial compensation for the “volunteers” comes from both the Defense Ministry and a mysterious “sponsor.”
The recruiter allegedly did not specify who exactly the “sponsor” is, but the phone numbers listed on a recruitment poster belong to Rusal Management, a 100% subsidiary of Rusal, according to the report. While Deripaska himself is under sanctions, Rusal was freed from sanctions in 2019 after Deripaska reduced his stake in the company. He still owns part of the company through his stake in En+ Group. Just last month, a European trade groupit had considered calling for sanctions on Russian aluminum, but “recommends avoiding” any such sanctions on Rusal due to the company’s widespread operations.
In addition to Rusal, the report also names Russia’s second-largest natural gas producer, Novatek, as another company supplying cannon fodder for the war against Ukraine. Owned by Leonid Mikhelson and Putin pal Gennady Timchenko, the company is under U.S. sanctions that prohibit it from accessing any debt financing in the U.S. of longer than 90 days.
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