Month: September 2020

In Tibet China Uses New Forms Of Coerced Labor And Micromanaging

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The Chinese government is forcing Tibetans to give up herding and farming to become wage laborers, cutting them off from ancient traditions and sacred landscapes. (Getty Images)

Before Xinjiang, there was Tibet. Repressive policies tested there between 2012 and 2016 were then applied to the Uighurs and other ethnic minorities in northwestern China: entire cities covered in surveillance cameras, ubiquitous neighborhood police stations, residents made to report on another other.

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DHS – Cybersecurity And Infrastructure Security Agency Mail-In Voting In 2020 Infrastructure Risk Assessment

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Page Count: 11 pages
Date: July 28, 2020
Restriction: None
Originating Organization: Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Department of Homeland Security
File Type: pdf
File Size: 577,002 bytes
File Hash (SHA-256): 4018616B3963268F457A9A294BF1A3A04EB90025898BC3C54B4785B048C873BB
 
 

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Exposed – Russia Likely To Continue Seeking To Undermine Faith In US Electoral Process

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Homeland Security Experts on the Biggest Threats and Challenges the U.S. Faces in 2020 – Homeland Security Today
 
Page Count: 4 pages
Date: September 3, 2020
Restriction: For Official Use Only
Originating Organization: Cyber Mission Center, Office of Intelligence and Analysis, Department of Homeland Security
File Type: pdf
File Size: 167,819 bytes
File Hash (SHA-256): CD0E044E731342D57AB13DCBB9C8B56D2D5A6295D1E51F6409461D1CAB55C61A
 

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CHINESE AUTHORITIES ARRESTED AND DISAPPEARED MY FATHER

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A young Chinese woman in red aims her bow and arrow off screen.

Mulan actress Liu Yifei, who publicly stated her support for Hong Kong police forces during the Hong Kong protests against extradition to mainland China. (Disney)

The last time I saw my father was in 2013. We were on our way to Indiana University, where he was scheduled to begin a fellowship. He was arrested before boarding the plane and taken away. A mild-mannered, studious professor of economics, his life’s work was using his influence to promote peaceful coexistence between the Uyghur people—our people—and the Han ethnic majority that rules China. That went against the interest of the Chinese Communist government, and in 2014 they sentenced him to life in prison. The last time I spoke to him was the day before his arrest. I still don’t know if he is even alive—the last time I heard anything of his whereabouts was in 2017.

In many ways, I can identify with the title character in Disney’s Mulan films, based on the ancient Chinese legend. In the story, as China calls up the men from every family to defend against a foreign invasion, Mulan dresses as a boy and fights in the place of her father, who is too old to go himself. As a child growing up in Beijing, I loved the legend and the fun Disney cartoon version produced in 1998. Little did I know that I, like Mulan, would later be fighting for my own father—helping to carry on his work while he is unjustly imprisoned. I hope, like her, to achieve victory by one day gaining my father’s release.

Today, sadly, a new retelling of the Mulan story, once again by Disney, is profiting from the oppression of my people. This live-action version was filmed partly in the Uyghur region—officially known in China as “Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region”—where the Chinese Communist government is holding at least one million members of Turkic ethnic minorities in concentration camps as part of a coordinated genocidal campaign. My father, if he is alive, may be among them—nobody will allow us to visit him, or even tell us where he is.

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Must See Video – So Protzen Russlands Nachwuchs-Spione Vom FSB

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Ruhig, unsichtbar, diskret? So treten Russlands Nachwuchs-Geheimdienstler vom FSB jedenfalls nicht auf. Um ihren Abschluss zu feiern, protzen sie mit dicken, schwarzen Karren auf Moskaus Straßen – und kriegen mächtig Ärger.

Reevealed – Undercover For Center E

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From biggest CIA leaker Hanssen to 'undercover agent' Fogle: US-Russia spy scandals in 21st century — RT World News

A recent story from the Russian legal news outlet “Mediazona” dives into the case of a woman living in the far-eastern city of Chita, who was charged with justifying terrorism because of a social media post. The woman claims that after searching her home, investigators from the regional Anti-Extremism Center (Center E) offered to help her get a lighter sentence: all she had to do in return was infiltrate the Chita branch of “Union SSR” — a trade union organization that denies the collapse of the Soviet Union and doesn’t recognize the legitimacy of the Russian Federation. “Meduza” summarizes this ongoing story, which, in the words of “Mediazona” editor-in-chief Sergey Smirnov, offers an inside look at the work of Russia’s secretive Center E.

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Video – Russland: Der Fall Nawalny – Opposition In Gefahr

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Die Vergiftung von Oppositionsführer Alexej Nawalny ist nicht der erste Anschlag gegen einen Putin-Kritiker. Politischer Widerstand in Russland kann lebensgefährlich sein.

Regimekritiker Michail Efremow Vor Dubiosem Moskauer Gericht – 11 Jahre Gefängnis Gefordert

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Russland: Populärer Schauspieler nach Alkoholfahrt mit tödlichem Ausgang unter Hausarrest — RT Deutsch

Das Gericht verkündet demnächst ein Urteil über den Regimekritiker & Schauspieler Michail Efremow. Die Staatsanwaltschaft fordert, den Schauspieler wegen eines Unfalls, bei dem der 57-jährige Sergei Zakharov starb, zu 11 Jahren Gefängnis zu verurteilen.

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Maria Kolesnikova Nach Ihrem Verschwinden Von Lukaschenko-KGB-Schergen Festgenommen

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Belarus protests: UK says release of 'abducted' Maria Kolesnikova must be 'highest priority' | World News | Sky News
Eine der Führerinnen der belarussischen Opposition, Maria Kolesnikova, wurde am Morgen des 8. September an der belarussisch-ukrainischen Grenze festgenommen, teilte das staatliche Grenzkomitee von Belarus mit. Sie behaupten, dass Kolesnikova und zwei Mitglieder des Koordinierungsrates der belarussischen Opposition, Anton Rodnenkov und Ivan Kravtsov, mit dem Auto zwischen belarussischen und ukrainischen Kontrollpunkten unterwegs waren. Nachdem sie den Grenzschutz bemerkt hatten, so heißt es im Komitee, beschleunigte das Auto stark und verließ das Gebiet von Belarus, während Kolesnikova angeblich aus dem Auto “geschoben” wurde.

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Nawalny Aus Koma Geweckt – Deutsch-Russisches Verhältnis Am Boden

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Sein Zustand verbessert sich und er ist wieder ansprechbar: Berliner Ärzte haben den Kremlkritiker Alexej Nawalny aus dem künstlichen Koma geholt. Sein Fall hat inzwischen hohe Wellen geschlagen.

Nawalny Vergiftet: Statement Von Maas Und Kramp-Karrenbauer Zum Vorfall

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Seit mehreren Tagen befindet sich der russische Kreml-Kritiker Alexej Nawalny in der Berliner Charité. Er war dorthin mit Symptomen einer Vergiftung gekommen. Nun gibt es laut Bundesregierung einen “zweifelsfreien Nachweis” für eine Vergiftung mit einem chemischen Nervenkampfstoff aus der Nowitschok-Gruppe. Das erklärte Regierungssprecher Steffen Seibert. Ein Speziallabor der Bundeswehr habe eine toxikologische Untersuchung anhand von Proben durchgeführt. Hierbei sei die Vergiftung nachgewiesen worden.

Must See Movie – Die Wahrheit Über Die Stasi – Der Ganze Film!

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Die DDR im damals utopisch fiktiven Jahr 2008 – ein Jahr vor dem 60. Geburtstag der Republik – als ewig währender, realsozialistischer Kostümball. Staatssicherheit und Opposition in symbiotischem Tanz engumschlungen. Die untergehende DDR als fröhliches Geländespiel mit Musik.

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Revealed – DHS Fusion Center China Problems

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Over 100 DHS Fusion Center siteswere involved in the recent #BlueLeaks database breach. All of the sites were ultimately hosted on a computer server in a Data Foundry data center in Houston. Data Foundry, also called GigaNews, is a central Texas based operator of several data centers.

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Exposed – Cyprus Papers – The People Who Bought A Cyprus Passport

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Mir Rahman Rahmani

Afghanistan 🇦🇫

 

Year of birth: 1962

Application approved: 07.03.2017

Info: A former general in the Afghan military, Rahmani was appointed speaker of the Wolesi Jirga, Afghanistan’s lower house of parliament, in May 2019. The announcement lead to MPs fighting in the debating chamber.

Senior Afghan officials are not allowed dual citizenship.

Related applicants: Rahmani sponsored the application of his wife and three daughters, who acquired Cypriot citizenship on 01.12.2017. They are also citizens of the Caribbean country of St Kitts & Nevis.

 

Gati Saadi Al-Jebouri

Bulgaria 🇧🇬

Гати ал-Джибури

Year of birth: 1969

Application approved: 03.07.2018

Info: Managing Director of Lukoil Mid East Ltd (2017-2019).

Lukoil Mid East Ltd is 100 percent owned by Russian oil giant, Lukoil. The company has been under US sanctions since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Related applicants: Jebouri’s wife also acquired Cypriot citizenship.

 

陈安林

Year of birth: 1964

Application approved: 03.07.2018

Estimated net worth $57.9m

Info: A member of the CPPCC National Committee of Huangpi District, Chen is also a director of a subsidiary of the state-owned enterprise, China Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Group (CECEP).

Related applicants: Chen’s wife also acquired Cypriot citizenship. The couple are not investors but obtained passports through their son, Yao Chen, who became a Cypriot citizen on July 27, 2017.

Second citizenships are not allowed under Chinese law and can result in the automatic loss of Chinese citizenship.

 

 

傅政军

Year of birth: 1978

Application approved: 08.11.2017

Info: Fu’s companies include WEEK8 HOLDINGS (HK) LIMITED and Tian Ge Interactive Holdings Limited, a social media platform.

He also holds political office as vice-chairman of the presidium of Zhejiang Province Zheshang Economic Development Center and formerly as Member of the 6th Jinhua Municipal Committee of the CPPCC (2011-2017).

Related applicants: Fu’s wife also acquired a Cypriot passport.

Second citizenships are not allowed under Chinese law and can result in the automatic loss of Chinese citizenship.

Lu Wenbin

China 🇨🇳

 

陆文斌

Year of birth: 1964

Application approved: 24.07.2019

Info: Lu is a local political representative as deputy to the 17th Chengdu People’s Congress. Cyprus’ new rules banning PEPs from the golden passport scheme were just weeks away from coming into force by the time his passport was approved.

Related applicants: Lu’s wife also acquired a Cypriot passport.

Second citizenships are not allowed under Chinese law and can result in the automatic loss of Chinese citizenship.

Yang Huiyan

China 🇨🇳

  

杨惠妍

Year of birth: 1981

Application approved: 23.10.2018

Estimated net worth: $27bn

Info: Billionaire businesswoman and the richest woman in Asia. Yang is the majority shareholder of property developer Country Garden Holdings, a stake largely transferred to her by her father, Yeung Kwok Keung, in 2007. He is also a member of The Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CCPPCC), an advisory body to the government.

Related applicants: Yang’s husband, Chen Chong, also acquired a Cypriot passport. He is a member of the 12th Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.

Second citizenships are not allowed under Chinese law and can result in the automatic loss of Chinese citizenship.

Zhao Zhenpeng

China 🇨🇳

 

赵振鹏

Year of birth: 1981

Application approved: 12.02.2019

Info: Member of the Binzhou Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), an advisory body to the government.

Zhao is chairman and the legal representative of Wuyi Yongli Salt Industry Co., Ltd.

Related applicants: Zhao’s wife also acquired a Cypriot passport.

Second citizenships are not allowed under Chinese law and can result in the automatic loss of Chinese citizenship.

Apurv Bagri

India 🇮🇳

 

Year of birth: 1959

Application approved: 16.01.2018

Info: Appointed to the board of directors of the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), a UAE government body, in 2004.

Bagri is currently the chairman of the DFSA’s Governance & Nominations Committee.

Related applicants: Spouse also acquired Cypriot citizenship on 12.02.2019.

Indian nationals are not allowed to hold dual citizenship.

Maleksabet Ebrahimi

Iran 🇮🇷

 

Year of birth: 1952

Application approved: 06.11.2018

Info: On an Interpol red-notice, along with his son, Mehdi. Wanted by Iran for misappropriation, breach of trust, money laundering, fraud, forgery and counterfeiting and leading an organised criminal group.

He faced trial in Canada in 2019 for money laundering of proceeds of sanctioned oil sales. Both men deny the charges and say they compiled with Iranian and Cypriot law.

Adilbek Sarsenov

Kazakhstan 🇰🇿

 

Адильбек САРСЕНОВ

Year of birth: 1973

Application approved: 07.05.2019

Info: On the board of directors of the state-owned telecoms company Kazakhtelecom (2010-2018).

Related applicants: His wife, Gulnara, also acquired Cypriot citizenship.

Taha Mikati

Lebanon 🇱🇧

  

Year of birth: 1944

Application approved: 03.07.2018

Estimated net worth: $2.3bn

Info: Brother of Najib Mikati, prime minister of Lebanon (2011-2014).

Taha and Najib share a business empire which began selling satellite phones at the height of the Lebanese civil war.

Today they share ownership of the M1 group, which owns stakes in South African telecom firm MTN and real estate in New York, London and Monaco.

Related applicants: Three of Mikati’s family members also acquired Cypriot citizenship.

Alexei Ananiev

Russia 🇷🇺

    

Алексей Ананьев

Year of birth: 1964

Application approved: 07.03.2017

Estimated net worth: $1.4bn

Info: Alexei Ananiev’s fortunes have changed since he was named in Forbes’ 2017 Billionaires List

He was placed on Russia’s international wanted list in September 2019, along with his brother Dmitry, who also acquired Cypriot citizenship in 2017. The Ananievs were charged with embezzlement and money laundering at Promsvyazbank, the bank they founded together.

Dmitry held political office as a senator between 2006 and 2013.

Both brothers have also been targeted by Ukrainian sanctions since March 2019.

Related applicants: Alexei’s son, Nikolay, and Dmitry also acquired Cypriot citizenship through the scheme.

Galina Antipina

Russia 🇷🇺

 

Галина Антипина

Year of birth: 1959

Application approved: 13.04.2018

Info: Held political office as a deputy for Villozsky Rural Settlement (2009-2014).

Related applicants: Her husband, Leonid Kvasniuk, head of LenRusStroy construction company, also acquired Cypriot citizenship.

Ali Beglov

Russia 🇷🇺

  

Али Беглов

Also known as: Alik Tartarin, “Алик Татарин”

Year of birth: 1961

Application approved: 19.12.2018

Info: Former director-general of Lukoil-Bunker.

Served a two-year prison sentence for extortion (1990-1992).

In 2007, Beglov attended the funeral of notorious St Petersburg gangster, Artur Kzhizhevich.

Related applicants: His wife also acquired Cypriot citizenship.

Vitaly Buzoverya

Russia 🇷🇺

   

Виталий Бузоверя

Year of birth: 1974

Application approved: 22.05.2018

Info: Senior vice president of the state-owned Russian bank VTB, sanctioned by the United States and the EU following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Buzoverya is one of three senior executives from the bank who gained Cypriot passports on the same day and all invested in the Coral Seas property development.

Related applicants: Buzoverya’s wife also acquired Cypriot citizenship.

Evgeniy Dod

Russia 🇷🇺

 

Евгений Дод

Year of birth: 1973

Application approved: 28.09.2016

Info: Executive-director of RusHydro (2009-2015), where he was a “Representative of the Russian Federation”.

Related applicants: His wife and child also acquired Cypriot citizenship.

Vitaly Evdokimenko

Russia 🇷🇺

 

Виталий Евдокименко

Year of birth: 1962

Application approved: 19.03.2018

Info: CEO of Russian Federal Freight Company, a subsidiary of the state-owned Russian Railways (2010-2015).

Related applicants: His wife and two children also acquired Cypriot citizenship.

Nikolay Gornovskiy

Russia 🇷🇺

Николай Горновский

Year of birth: 1958

Application approved: 10.06.2019

Info: Former Gazprom executive, wanted by Russia on abuse of power charges. Fled to the UK, from where Russia has repeatedly tried and failed to have him extradited.

Mikhail Yurevich

Russia 🇷🇺

   

Михаил Юрьевич

Year of birth: 1969

Application approved: 13.09.2016

Info: As a politician Yurevich held a seat in Russia’s State Duma before becoming the governor of the industrial Chelyabinsk Oblast region from 2010 to 2014.

In May 2017 he was put on Russia’s international wanted list, accused of accepting bribes from local ministers and businesses as well as slandering regional officials.

The Cyprus Papers reveal that Yurevich also sponsored his parents’ application for Cypriot citizenship in November 2017. They act as directors in his various companies.

Yurevich has also been subject to Ukrainian sanctions since May 2018.

Related applicants: His parents also acquired Cypriot citizenship on 01/12/2017

Timur Khayrutdinov

Russia 🇷🇺

 

Тимур Хайрутдинов

Year of birth: 1974

Application approved: 10.06.2019

Info: Trade representative of the Republic of Tatarstan in Dubai.

Related applicants: His wife also acquired Cypriot citizenship.

Vladimir Khristenko

Russia 🇷🇺

 

Владимир Христенко

Year of birth: 1981

Application approved: 25.05.2018

Info: President of biopharmaceutical company Nanolek, which is currently developing a vaccine for Covid-19.

His stepmother, Tatyana Golikova, is currently one of the deputy prime ministers of Russia and a former aide to Vladimir Putin.

Khristenko’s father Viktor Khristenko also held various government roles, including deputy prime minister, minister of finance and minister of energy and industry. Viktor also served on the board of directors of several state-owned companies.

Related applicants: His wife also acquired Cypriot citizenship.

Aleksei Kordichev

Russia 🇷🇺

 

Алексей Кордичев

Year of birth: 1978

Application approved: 23.10.2018

Info: As CEO of Siberia’s Vostochny Bank (2015-2017), Kordichev is one of six men accused of embezzling $37m from the bank’s shareholders.

He was arrested in Moscow on February 15, 2019 and as of May 2020, was still under house arrest.

Related applicants: His wife also acquired Cypriot citizenship.

Alexey Kulichenko

Russia 🇷🇺

 

Алексей Куличенко

Year of birth: 1974

Application approved: 25.05.2018

Info: A senior executive of Russia’s third-largest steel company, Severstal, sanctioned by Ukraine following Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea.

Related applicants: His wife also acquired Cypriot citizenship.

Alexander Lavlentsev

Russia 🇷🇺

 

Александр Лавленцев

Year of birth: 1957

Application approved: 08.02.2019

Info: Founder of construction firm ARKS.

Alexander’s son, Vladimir, was the deputy governor of St Petersburg between 2013 and 2014, and then the chief federal inspector of Moscow from 2015 to 2018.

Related applicants: His wife and daughter also acquired Cypriot passports.

Sergei Lomakin

Russia 🇷🇺

Сергей Ломакин

Year of birth: 1973

Application approved: 31.03.2018

Info: Founder and owner of FixPrice dollar stores and owner of Cypriot football club Pafos FC and current Latvian champions, Riga FC. Reportedly showed an interest in buying a stake in Arsenal.

Put on Russia’s Federal Wanted List in September 2016 and was subsequently charged with embezzlement of a loan of $123m.

Andrey Mityukov

Russia 🇷🇺

Андрей Митюков

Year of birth: 1967

Application approved: 25.05.2018

Info: Mityukov is on the board of directors at Russian steel company, Severstal, which has been sanctioned by Ukraine since Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea.

Andrey Molchanov

Russia 🇷🇺

  

Андрей Молчанов

Year of birth: 1971

Application approved: 04.10.2017

Estimated net worth: $850m

Info: Represented the Leningrad Region in Russia’s upper chamber of parliament (2008-2013).

In January 2018, Molchanov made the United States Treasury’s “Oligarchs List” of persons who are close to Vladimir Putin.

His father, Yuri Molchanov, was the KGB resident at Leningrad State University, where Vladimir Putin worked as his assistant in 1990. They later became business partners.

Related applicants: Andrey’s son and mother also acquired Cypriot citizenship.

Vadim Moshkovich

Russia 🇷🇺

  

Вадим Мошкович

Year of birth: 1967

Application approved: 15.02.2017

Estimated net worth: $1.7bn

Info: Member of the Federation Council, the upper chamber of Russia’s parliament, until October 2015.

Currently chairman of farming conglomerate Rusagro and reportedly Russia’s 57th richest person.

In 2018, Moshkovich made the United States Treasury’s “Oligarchs List” of persons who are close to Vladimir Putin.

Related applicants: His son, Evgeni, also acquired a Cypriot passport.

Damir Muginov

Russia 🇷🇺

 

Дамир Мугинов

Year of birth: 1966

Application approved: 27.12.2018

Info: In the same month that he received his Cypriot passport, Muginov became the focus of a criminal prosecution for land fraud.

A year later in July 2019, a district judge dropped the case against him without explanation.

Yury Obodovsky

Russia 🇷🇺

Юрий Ободовский

Year of birth: 1970

Application approved: 07.05.2019

Info: Obodovsky is reportedly close to the former president of Russian Railways, Vladimir Yakunin, who is himself a long-time associate of Vladimir Putin.

Added to a Russian wanted list in October 2018 accused of paying bribes to cover up corrupt business contracts with state companies including Russian Railways.

Reportedly hiding out in “one of the most luxurious resorts in the United States”.

Under investigation when he acquired Cypriot citizenship.

Andrey Oskolkov

Russia 🇷🇺

 

Андрей Осколков

Year of birth: 1964

Application approved: 23.10.2018

Info: Deputy of the state council for Russia’s Udmurt Republic (1999-2017).

Co-owner of the agro-industrial holdings company, Komos Group. In 2017 he was ranked 33rd in a Forbes list of Russia’s wealthy and powerful civil servants.

Related applicants: His wi

Maxim Poletaev

Russia 🇷🇺

 

Максим Полетаев

Year of birth: 1971

Application approved: 26.04.2017

Info: Deputy chairman of Sberbank until 2018. The Russian bank has been the target of US sanctions since September 2014.

Poletaev left Sberbank for RUSAL, an aluminium company owned by billionaire Oleg Deripaska.

Related applicants: Poletaev also sponsored his mother’s and and son’s application for Cypriot passports.

Andrey Puchkov

Russia 🇷🇺

 

Андрей Пучков

Year of birth: 1969

Application approved: 23.07.2018

Info: Former co-owner of real estate development company Urban Group.

A year after he received Cypriot citizenship, Puchkov fled Russia and was charged in absentia with abuse of power and defrauding investors in a failed building project.

Related applicants: Puchkov also bought Cypriot citizenship for his wife.

Igor Reva

Russia 🇷🇺

 

Игорь Рева

Year of birth: 1972

Application approved: 03.07.2018

Info: Russia’s deputy minister of economic development (2014-2017).

Related applicants: Reva’s wife also acquired Cypriot citizenship.

Rishat Safin

Russia 🇷🇺

 

Ришат Сафин

Year of birth: 1963

Application approved: 27.09.2017

Info: Formerly held directorships at various oil companies including a subsidiary of Russian giant, Lukoil. He then shortly pursued a career as a pop musician.

His brother, Ralif Safin, was senator for the Siberian republic of Altai (2002-2014). He is reported to be one of Russia’s 200 richest businesspeople, with an estimated net worth of $500m.

Related applicants: Rishat’s wife and two children also acquired Cypriot citizenship.

Alexey Soldatov

Russia 🇷🇺

 

Алексей Солдатов

Year of birth: 1951

Application approved: 07.05.2019

Info: Known as “Russia’s Steve Jobs”, Soldatov founded internet service provider Relcom in 1992 and was deputy minister of communications and mass media between (2008-2010).

In December 2019 Soldatov was placed under house arrest and charged with fraud on an especially large scale.

Related applicants: His wife also acquired Cypriot citizenship.

Oleg Tinkov

Russia 🇷🇺

  

Олег Тиньков

Year of birth: 1967

Application approved: 24.04.2018

Estimated net worth: $2.6bn

Info: Founder of Tinkoff Bank, one of the world’s largest online banks, with around 8 million customers in Russia.

In March 2020 Tinkoff was indicted by a US court for filing false tax returns. He is alleged to have concealed $1bn of assets and income.

He was arrested in London and reportedly released on a bail of £20m (approximately $26.4m).

Tinkov is currently in the UK, receiving treatment for Leukaemia. An extradition hearing has been rescheduled for September 2020.

According to Forbes his wealth has increased by 63% during the Covid-19 pandemic from an estimated at $1.6bn to $2.6bn.

Related applicants: Tinkov sponsored the application of his son, who acquired Cypriot citizenship on 23.10.2018.

Victoria Vanurina

Russia 🇷🇺

   

Виктория Ванурина

Year of birth: 1972

Application approved: 22.05.2018

Info: Member of the management board at VTB Bank. The state-owned bank has been targeted by US sanctions since Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea.

Vanurina is one of three senior executives from the bank who were all approved for Cypriot passports on the same day. They all invested in the Coral Seas property development.

Related applicants: Her husband also acquired Cypriot citizenship.

Alexei Yakovitsky

Russia 🇷🇺

   

Алексей Яковицкий

Year of birth: 1975

Application approved: 22.05.2018

Info: CEO of VTB Capital PLC. The state-owned bank has been targeted by US sanctions since Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea.

Yakovitsky is one of three senior executives from the bank who were all approved for Cypriot passports on the same day and all invested in the Coral Seas property development.

Related applicants: His wife also acquired Cypriot citizenship.

Andrey Zhupanov

Russia 🇷🇺

  

Андрей Жупанов

Year of birth: 1971

Application approved: 19.12.2018

Info: Former deputy chairman of Promsvyazbank. Member of the board of directors of Vozrozhdenie Bank.

Two weeks after his Cypriot citizenship was confirmed, Promsvyazbank filed a lawsuit against Zhupanov and nine other former managers of the bank, along with the bank’s former owners, Dmitry and Alexei Ananiev, to recuperate $3.8bn.

The action against Zhupanov personally amounts to $562m.

Related applicants: Zhupanov’s wife, Maria Ochirova, acquired Cypriot citizenship. Her father was chief consultant to the minister of internal affairs and her mother sits on the public council of the FSB, Russia’s secret service.

Mohammed A. H. Jameel

Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦

 

Year of birth: 1958

Application approved: 07.05.2018

Estimated net worth: $5bn

Info: Board member of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority, a government body.

Jameel was awarded an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth in 2014.

Dual citizenship is only allowed under Saudi law with official government approval.

Khalid Ahmed Al Juffali

Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦

  

Year of birth: 1958

Application approved: 18.09.2018

Info: Member of the board of directors, Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency. Chairman of E. A. Juffali and Brothers, the largest privately-owned enterprise in Saudi Arabia.

Chairman of “KJC”, a privately held investment company which mainly operates in New York City.

Related applicants: Three of Juffali’s children also acquired Cypriot passports.

Dual citizenship is only allowed under Saudi law with official government approval.

Hussain Alnowais

United Arab Emirates 🇦🇪

 

Year of birth: 1956

Application approved: 07.05.2019

Info: Senior executive of several state-owned enterprises. On the board of directors of state-owned Emirates Steel and National Petroleum Construction Company “NPCC”.

Highly influential with close links to Abu Dhabi’s ruling family, he has negotiated trade agreements on behalf of the UAE government.

Dual citizenship is not recognised in the laws of the UAE and obtaining a second citizenship is grounds for the involuntary loss of UAE citizenship.

Oleg Bakhmatyuk

Ukraine 🇺🇦

  

Олег Бахматюк

Year of birth: 1974

Application approved: 25.05.2018

Estimated net wort: $1bn (2011)

Info: Former owner of VAB Bank and CEO of Ukrlandfarming Plc, Ukraine’s largest agricultural company.

Placed on a wanted list on November 22, 2019, for embezzlement of around $43m from the National Bank of Ukraine. Bakhmatyuk denies all the charges and says that the criminal case against him is “a complete fabrication and politically motivated”.

Bakhmatyuk was arrested in absentia in May 2020.

A month later the General Prosecutor’s Office was ordered to close the criminal case against him. That decision has since been overturned and the case reopened.

He remains on the wanted list.

Related applicants: Oleg’s sister, Natalia Vasilyuk, who holds senior positions in his companies, also acquired Cypriot citizenship on the same day.

Under Ukrainian law it is illegal to hold a second citizenship

Liudmila Lebedeva

Ukraine 🇺🇦

 

Людмила Лебедєва

Year of birth: 1965

Application approved: 31.01.2018

Info: Wife of Ukraine’s former defence minister, Pavlo Lebedev.

Pavlo is now a defendant in several criminal cases in Ukraine and lives in Russia-occupied Crimea. He is accused of using security forces to suppress the 2014 Euromaidan protests as well as stealing billions of dollars of military property and equipment between 2004 and 2014.

Related applicants: Their daughter also acquired Cypriot citizenship. Both she and Liudmila are joint owners of companies in Crimea.

Under Ukrainian law it is illegal to hold a second citizenship.

Vadim Shulman

Ukraine 🇺🇦

  

Вадим Шульман

Year of birth: 1960

Application approved: 11.07.2019

Info: Oligarch who made his money in chemicals and telecoms. Shulman has headed Ukraine’s tennis federation and even paid for an auditorium named after him at Oxford University.

In July 2019 he was placed on a wanted list for money laundering, just two weeks after his Cypriot passport was approved. The Paradise Papers also reveal Shulman’s network of offshore companies.

Shulman also holds Russian and Israeli citizenship.

Under Ukrainian law it is illegal to hold a second citizenship.

Natalia Vasylyuk

Ukraine 🇺🇦

 

Наталія Василюк

Year of birth: 1983

Application approved: 25.05.2018

Info: CEO and on the board of directors of Avangard Agrico, Europe’s largest producer of chicken eggs.

The company was founded by her brother, Oleg Bakhmatyuk, who also appears in the Cyprus Papers. As former head of the supervisory board of VAB Bank, she was placed on a wanted list on November 22, 2019 for assisting her brother with embezzlement and money laundering amounting to around $43m.

She acquired Cypriot citizenship on the same day as Bakhmatyuk.

Under Ukrainian law it is illegal to hold a second citizenship.

Anatoly Yakovynets

Ukraine 🇺🇦

Анатолій Яковинець

Year of birth: 1966

Application approved: 07.03.2017

Info: First deputy chief of Ukraine’s tax police (2011-2014).

Head of financial investigations, Ministry of Revenue and Duties (2013).

Related applicants: Yakovynet’s daughter also acquired Cypriot citizenship.

Under Ukrainian law it is illegal to hold a second citizenship.

Mykola Zlochevsky

Ukraine 🇺🇦

    

Микола Злочевський

Year of birth: 1966

Application approved:: 01.12.2017

Estimated net Worth: $535m (2017)

Info: Minister for Natural Resources (2010-2012).
Member of the Security and Defence Council (2012-2014).

He has also been on a Russian sanctions list since November 2018

Owns Ukrainian gas and oil producers through his Cyprus registered company Burisma Holdings.

Zlochevsky has been investigated since 2012 for money laundering, tax evasion and since 2018 for theft of government funds.

In June 2020 Ukraine’s anti-corruption squad seized $6m of cash, which they claim was intended to bribe officials to close their investigation into Burisma.

Related applicants: Mykola’s daughters, Anna and Karina, also acquired Cypriot passports.

Under Ukrainian law it is illegal to hold a second citizenship.

Volodymyr Zubyk

Ukraine 🇺🇦

  

Володимир Зубик

Year of birth: 1958

Application approved: 09.10.2018

Estimated net Worth: $95m (Forbes, 2020)

Info: Member of Ukraine’s national assembly the Verkhovna Rada (2006-2019), meaning he was an elected official at the time he acquired his Cypriot citizenship.

Related applicants: Zubyk’s wife and daughter also acquired Cypriot passports.

Under Ukrainian law it is illegal to hold a second citizenship.

Leonardo González Dellán

Venezuela 🇻🇪

 

Year of birth: 1966

Application approved: 04.01.2019

Info: A former president of Banco Industrial de Venezuela, Dellan was sanctioned by the United States on January 8, 2019, four days after his golden passport was approved.

He is described as a “testaferro”, a front person for the Venezuelan state, accused of helping launder $2.4bn.

Phạm Phú Quốc

Vietnam 🇻🇳

 

Year of birth: 1969

Application approved: 12.12.2018

Info: Pham is chair of the board of one of Vietnam’s biggest trade companies, IPC.

He is also a member of Congress for Ho Chi Minh city.

Related applicants: Pham’s wife also acquired Cypriot citizenship.

Vietnamese politicians are banned from holding dual citizenship.

Phạm Nhật Vũ

Vietnam 🇻🇳

   

Year of birth: 1973

Application approved: 06.05.2019

Info: Brother of “Vietnam’s first billionaire”, Pham Nhat Vu was charged and facing trial for bribery when his Cypriot passport was approved in May 2019. He was subsequently convicted and is currently serving a three year jail sentence in Vietnam.

Related applicants: His wife also acquired Cypriot citizenship.

TO BE CONTINUED

Continue reading “Exposed – Cyprus Papers – The People Who Bought A Cyprus Passport” →