Iran is actively planning to strike U.S. military targets in Europe โ including bases in Bulgaria and Cyprus โ if President Donald Trump orders a fresh escalation of the war, according to sources close to the Iranian regime. The threat marks a dramatic expansion of the conflict beyond the Middle East and signals Tehran’s willingness to bring the war to NATO’s doorstep.
The Threat
Iranian military planners have examined potential targets at American military facilities in southeastern Europe, including Bulgaria, according to a report by the Financial Times. The assessment follows Bulgaria’s decision last month to allow U.S. refueling aircraft to operate from Bezmer Air Base, a move that could enhance the base’s strategic significance for Washington.
“Iranian forces have evaluated the option of striking U.S. military assets in southeastern European countries, including Bulgaria, which agreed last month to the use of the Bezmer air base by U.S. aircraft for refueling purposes.” โ Financial Times, citing sources close to the Iranian regime
Cyprus has also been identified as a possible target. The island is home to British military facilities, including the Akrotiri air base, which was struck by a drone earlier this year.
The Undersea Cable Threat
In addition to military targets, Iranian forces have separately assessed the possibility of striking undersea fiber-optic cables passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Any such disruption could affect key communications infrastructure running through the strategically vital waterway.
“Iranian planners have looked at possible ways to disrupt subsea fibre-optic cables passing through the Strait of Hormuz.” โ Financial Times report
The Escalation Calculus
The reported contingency planning reflects Tehran’s efforts to assess how it could raise the costs for Washington if the conflict widens.
Key factors driving the threat:
ยท The 60-day talk window between the U.S. and Iran ended without any breakthrough under the Islamabad MoU ยท Trump declared that no “talks or conversations” are underway or planned with Tehran ยท Iran’s Supreme Leader has promoted hardliners to top security and military positions, signaling a shift toward a more confrontational posture
“If the United States were to strike Iranian infrastructure, Tehran could expand its operations beyond the Middle East. If the United States were to go too far, Iran will defend itself at all costs, extending its action beyond the region and even striking Europe.” โ Source close to the Iranian regime
The “Madness” Gambit
Iranian sources have conveyed a blunt message to Washington: “Don’t play a game of madness with us, because we are crazier.”
One source warned that Tehran’s response would be “without any limits”. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has already warned the United Kingdom that “any base used to launch an attack on Iranian territory will be considered a legitimate target”.
In July, Iran attacked a U.S. base in Jordan, killing three U.S. service members. According to sources, this attack was also a message to Europe: “It could receive missiles, so it should know what position to take in this war.”
The Military Reality
While the threat is serious, experts caution that Iran’s ability to strike European targets is limited.
Sidharth Kaushal, a researcher at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London, told the Financial Times that the threat posed by Iranian missiles against European targets is “real, but limited”. Tehran could use medium-range ballistic missiles, including systems from the Shahab family, against installations in southern and southeastern Europe. However, attacks at longer ranges would pose greater difficulties in terms of precision and destructive capacity.
Iran has already attempted to demonstrate its long-range strike capabilities: in the weeks following the outbreak of the war in February, Washington accused Tehran of launching missiles against the Anglo-American base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, none of which hit their target. In March, NATO air defenses intercepted several Iranian ballistic missiles.
The Bottom Line
Iran is preparing options to broaden the conflict if Trump acts on earlier threats to strike Iranian infrastructure. The reported planning to strike U.S. targets in Bulgaria and Cyprus represents a significant escalation in the war of words โ and potentially, the war itself.
The message from Tehran is clear: if the United States expands the war, Iran will expand it too โ and Europe will not be spared.
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Iran droht mit Angriffen auf US-Militรคrziele in Europa โ Bulgarien und Zypern im Visier
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Iran plant nach Informationen von regime-nahen Quellen Angriffe auf US-Militรคrziele in Europa โ darunter Stรผtzpunkte in Bulgarien und Zypern โ falls Prรคsident Donald Trump den Krieg weiter eskalieren lรคsst. Die Drohung markiert eine dramatische Ausweitung des Konflikts รผber den Nahen Osten hinaus und signalisiert Teherans Bereitschaft, den Krieg bis vor die Tore der NATO zu tragen.
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Die Drohung
Iranische Militรคrplaner haben mรถgliche Ziele an US-Militรคreinrichtungen in Sรผdosteuropa geprรผft, darunter in Bulgarien, wie die Financial Times berichtet. Die Bewertung erfolgt im Anschluss an Bulgariens Entscheidung vom letzten Monat, US-Tankflugzeugen die Nutzung des Luftstรผtzpunkts Besmer zu erlauben โ ein Schritt, der die strategische Bedeutung des Stรผtzpunkts fรผr Washington erhรถhen kรถnnte.
“Iranische Streitkrรคfte haben die Option geprรผft, US-Militรคrgรผter in sรผdosteuropรคischen Lรคndern anzugreifen, darunter Bulgarien, das im letzten Monat der Nutzung des Luftstรผtzpunkts Besmer durch US-Flugzeuge zu Betankungszwecken zugestimmt hat.” โ Financial Times unter Berufung auf regime-nahe Quellen
Auch Zypern wurde als mรถgliches Ziel identifiziert. Die Insel beherbergt britische Militรคreinrichtungen, darunter den Luftstรผtzpunkt Akrotiri, der bereits Anfang des Jahres von einer Drohne angegriffen wurde.
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Die Bedrohung von Unterseekabeln
Neben militรคrischen Zielen haben iranische Streitkrรคfte separat die Mรถglichkeit geprรผft, Unterseeglasfaserkabel anzugreifen, die durch die Straรe von Hormus verlaufen. Jede solche Stรถrung kรถnnte die wichtige Kommunikationsinfrastruktur beeintrรคchtigen, die durch die strategisch lebenswichtige Wasserstraรe verlรคuft.
“Iranische Planer haben mรถgliche Wege geprรผft, um Unterseeglasfaserkabel zu stรถren, die durch die Straรe von Hormus verlaufen.” โ Financial Times
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Die Eskalationslogik
Die berichtete Notfallplanung spiegelt Teherans Bemรผhungen wider, zu bewerten, wie es die Kosten fรผr Washington erhรถhen kรถnnte, falls der Konflikt weiter eskaliert.
Schlรผsselfaktoren, die die Drohung antreiben:
ยท Das 60-tรคgige Gesprรคchsfenster zwischen den USA und dem Iran endete ohne Durchbruch im Rahmen des Islamabad-MoU ยท Trump erklรคrte, dass derzeit keine “Gesprรคche oder Unterhaltungen” mit Teheran stattfinden oder geplant seien ยท Irans oberster Fรผhrer hat Hardliner in die obersten Sicherheits- und Militรคrpositionen berufen, was eine Hinwendung zu einer konfrontativeren Haltung signalisiert
“Wenn die Vereinigten Staaten iranische Infrastruktur angreifen wรผrden, kรถnnte Teheran seine Operationen รผber den Nahen Osten hinaus ausweiten. Wenn die Vereinigten Staaten zu weit gehen sollten, wird sich Iran um jeden Preis verteidigen, seine Aktionen รผber die Region hinaus ausdehnen und sogar Europa angreifen.” โ Quelle aus regime-nahen Kreisen
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Die “Wahnsinns”-Strategie
Iranische Quellen haben Washington eine unmissverstรคndliche Botschaft รผbermittelt: “Spielen Sie kein Wahnsinnsspiel mit uns, denn wir sind verrรผckter.”
Eine Quelle warnte, dass Teherans Antwort “ohne jede Grenze” sein werde. Die Islamischen Revolutionsgarden (IRGC) haben Groรbritannien bereits gewarnt, dass “jeder Stรผtzpunkt, der fรผr einen Angriff auf iranisches Territorium genutzt wird, als legitimes Ziel betrachtet wird”.
Im Juli griff der Iran einen US-Stรผtzpunkt in Jordanien an und tรถtete drei US-Soldaten. Quellen zufolge war auch dieser Angriff eine Botschaft an Europa: “Es kรถnnte Raketen erhalten, also sollte es wissen, welche Position es in diesem Krieg einnehmen sollte.”
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Die militรคrische Realitรคt
So ernst die Bedrohung ist, warnen Experten, dass Irans Fรคhigkeit, europรคische Ziele anzugreifen, begrenzt ist.
Sidharth Kaushal, Forscher am Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London, sagte der Financial Times, dass die Bedrohung durch iranische Raketen gegen europรคische Ziele “real, aber begrenzt” sei. Teheran kรถnnte Mittelstreckenraketen, einschlieรlich Systeme der Shahab-Familie, gegen Einrichtungen in Sรผd- und Sรผdosteuropa einsetzen. Angriffe รผber grรถรere Entfernungen wรผrden jedoch grรถรere Schwierigkeiten in Bezug auf Prรคzision und Zerstรถrungskraft mit sich bringen.
Der Iran hat bereits versucht, seine Langstreckenfรคhigkeiten unter Beweis zu stellen: In den Wochen nach Kriegsausbruch im Februar beschuldigte Washington Teheran, Raketen gegen den britisch-amerikanischen Stรผtzpunkt auf Diego Garcia im Indischen Ozean abgefeuert zu haben, von denen keine ihr Ziel traf. Im Mรคrz fing die NATO-Luftverteidigung mehrere iranische ballistische Raketen ab.
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Die Bilanz
Der Iran bereitet Optionen vor, den Konflikt auszuweiten, falls Trump auf frรผhere Drohungen reagiert, iranische Infrastruktur anzugreifen. Die berichtete Planung von Angriffen auf US-Ziele in Bulgarien und Zypern stellt eine bedeutende Eskalation des Wortgefechts โ und mรถglicherweise des Krieges selbst โ dar.
Die Botschaft aus Teheran ist klar: wenn die USA den Krieg ausweiten, wird der Iran ihn ebenfalls ausweiten โ und Europa wird nicht verschont bleiben.
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Caption From Cosmic Top-Secret leaks to prime-time hot takesโmeet the convicted Stasi spy now hosting 18 apolut shows. Evidence only, no spin.
Cold-War Ghosts in Modern Ink: How Ex-Stasi Spies, RT Veterans and a Cyprus-Registered Persia Venture Are Quietly Reshaping Germanyโs Publishing Landscape
Berlin โ When Rainer Ruppโcodename โTopaz,โ once NATOโs highest-ranking Stasi moleโappears on the Berlin video-portal apolut, the intro music is identical to the banned channel RT Deutsch. That is no accident. A Wall Street Journal cross-check of corporate filings, sanctions lists and leaked Cyprus-company data shows that apolutโs money trail, the Persia-named Cyprus vehicle of co-founder Ken Jebsen, and at least seven former RT on-air hosts now form the core contributor pool of a fast-growing German-language outlet being watched by the federal domestic-intelligence agency.
From Prison to Prime-Time
Rupp, convicted of treason in 1993 for funneling NATO war plans to East Berlin, was early-released in 2000 .
Since 2022 he has fronted 18 apolut episodes attacking NATO expansion and U.S. โescalationโ in Ukraineโcontent that is mirrored within minutes on the still-accessible rtdeutsch.net mirror site .
German interior ministry officials told the Journal the shared RSS feed suggests โcommon backend infrastructureโโa workaround to the 2022 EU ban on RT.
The Cyprus ConnectionโโPersia Nsmevresidesโ
Ken Jebsen, founder of the KenFM YouTube channel (deleted in 2021 for Covid-19 disinformation), re-emerged as apolutโs creative director.
Corporate registry extracts seen by the Journal list him as beneficial owner of P.N. Media Ltd., Nicosiaโincorporation date 3 March 2022, one week after Russiaโs invasion of Ukraine.
The Persia-linked spelling (โNsmevresidesโ) appears only in Cyprus land-registry footnotes; auditors say the jumbled name is classic beneficial-owner obfuscation common in Russian laundry pipelines that run through the island.
Le Mondeโs 2023 โCyprus Confidentialโ leak shows the same registered office block (Hermes House, 4 Pindarou St.) hosted 96 EU-sanctioned Russians and 800 shell companiesโincluding MeritKapital, which managed Roman Abramovichโs trusts.
RT Alumni on the Payroll Comparing RT Deutschโs final 2022 contributor list with apolutโs 2024 by-line page reveals a 70 % overlap:
Name Role at RT Current apolut Title Alexandra von K. Brussels correspondent EU โDe-Industryโ analyst Jens W. Business anchor โGold & Geopoliticsโ host Elena S. Culture reporter โCivilisation Shiftโ editor Markus F. Pentagon reporter U.S. policy โdecoderโ Ulrike R. Weekend anchor โSunday Narrativeโ presenter Florian W. Kremlin pool reporter Chief political interviewer Oliver S. Tech segment โDigital Sovereigntyโ lead
All seven continue to receive Cyprus-based remuneration via P.N. Media Ltd., according to SEPA wire data leaked to the Journalโpayments routed through Rigaโs PrivatBank, a Latvian institution already fined โฌ5.6 m in 2022 for weak AML controls on Russian clientele.
The Mainz FactorโGerman Printing Muscle
apolutโs hard-copy magazine (โapolut quarterlyโ) is printed and distributed by Mainzer Verlagsanstalt (MVA)โa mid-size house whose other clients include Catholic diocesan books and regional school texts.
MVAโs supervisory board includes Michael K.โa former business-development manager at RT Deutschโs Berlin production arm (2014-2019).
When asked, MVA told it โdoes not scrutinise editorial contentโ and โfulfils all legal requirementsโ; German customs data show three pallet-loads (7,200 copies) were shipped to Moscow book-fair 2023โa re-export anomaly for an outlet billing itself as โindependent German mediaโ.
Follow the PaperโFollow the Money
Paper-trail audit: MVA orders 80-ton coated stock annually from Astrakhan Pulp Millโa Russian supplier whose German bank account was frozen under EU sanctions in 2022; the mill re-routed invoices through Cyprus broker โMeritServusโโthe same trustee house that managed Abramovichโs trusts.
Shipping records list final consignee as โP.N. Media, Hermes Houseโโclosing the circle: Russian pulp โ Cypriot broker โ German press โ apolut/RT talking heads.
What Berlin Does Next
BfV (domestic intelligence) has opened a โmedia-penetrationโ fileโthe first since the 1962 Spiegel Affairโto determine whether foreign financing and Stasi-era networks constitute โanti-constitutional influenceโ under ยง 12 BVerfSchG.
Finance-ministry special unit is cross-checking SEPA leaks with Cyprus Confidential data; investigators say โlow-seven-digitโ sums moved from Moscow-registered ad agencies into P.N. Media in 2023 alone.
Bottom Line From Cold-War microfilm to Cyprus micro-transactions, the same castโex-Stasi spies, RT veterans and a Persia-named shellโis re-printing the playbook inside Germanyโs own presses. The by-lines have changed; the beneficial owners have not.
Reality Check: Rainer Rupp, apolut & the Cyprus โPersiaโ Shell (What we can โ and cannot โ verify today)
Rainer Rupp = โTopazโ โ๏ธ REAL
NATO economic analyst 1977-1989; passed Cosmic Top-Secret documents (incl. MC 161 war-plan) to East-Berlin; caught 1993, sentenced 12 yrs, released 2000 .
Still unrepentant: gives interviews claiming he โhelped avert nuclear warโ during NATOโs 1983 Able-Archer exercise .
Rupp on apolut โ๏ธ REAL
apolutโs own โAutorenโ page lists Rainer Rupp with 18 video segments since 2022, latest uploaded Jan 2026 .
Intro music identical to the old RT Deutsch sonic logo (verified by audio-waveform match).
Cyprus registry confirms P.N. Media Ltd. (HE 410681) incorporated 3 Mar 2022; Ken K. Jebsen declared sole beneficial owner .
โNsmevresidesโ spelling does NOT appear in the official Cyprus Gazette extract; it surfaces only in land-registry footnotes leaked to โCyprus Confidentialโ partnersโwe have seen photocopy but cannot publish full doc because of Cypriot privacy seal .
Hermes House, 4 Pindarou hosted 96 EU-sanctioned entitiesโverified by ICIJ & Le Monde 2023 leak .
No public payroll exists for either RT Deutsch (banned 2022) or apolut.
Journal comparison relied on screen-grabs of 2022 RT by-lines vs. 2024 apolut banner credits; seven names match, but without employment contracts or pay-slips the โ70 % overlapโ remains an extrapolation, not a documented fact.
SEPA Leak / โฌ low-seven-digit 2023 transfers โ NOT VERIFIED
No court-filed SEPA data has been released; BfV confirms โopen structural analysisโ but declines to comment on individual transfers.
PrivatBank Riga fine (โฌ5.6 m 2022) is real, but no public link yet ties those files to P.N. Media.
MVA admits printing apolut quarterly but denies any Astrakhan Pulp Mill contract; shipping record of 7,200 magazines to Moscow 2023 exists in German customs XML (Journal has reference number), yet mill invoice & MeritServus broker paperwork remain leak-only and not independently authenticated.
Bottom Line Rainer Rupp really is โTopazโ and really is on apolutโthat part is documented.
The Cyprus shell company exists and Jebsen really owns it, but the jumbled โPersiaโ name and the SEPA wire narrative are leak-based, not court-proven.
Until official investigations (BfV, BaFin, Cyprus authorities) publish evidence, the financial laundering claims must be treated as assertions, not established fact.
FACT FILE STATUS QUO
Berlin โ Every apolut Rupp episode now opens with the same RT-style sonic logo and the same 76-year-old man: Rainer Rupp, codename โTopazโ, once the highest-ranking Stasi mole inside NATO. Below is the evidence-only dossier.
Documented Spy Career (1977-1989)
Employed by NATO HQ Brussels as an economic analyst; security clearance: Cosmic Top Secret.
Photographed โ 10,000 pages of classified material, including the MC 161 master war-plan and cruise-missile deployment maps, passing them to East Berlinโs HVA foreign-intelligence directorate and onward to the KGB.
Communications: number-station radio, micro-dots in wine-cellar, calculator-sized burst transmitter.
Arrested 1993 after CIA matched him to the โRosenholzโ card-index; convicted of treason 1994, sentenced to 12 years; released early July 2000 .
Post-Prison Trajectory โ All on Record
2000-2003: security-policy adviser to PDS party (successor to East Germanyโs ruling SED); quit after policy disputes.
2003-present: freelance commentator; openly defends his espionage as โmoral duty to prevent nuclear warโ .
apolut Contributor โ Verified
apolutโs own author page lists 18 video segments (2022-2026) under the banner โVon Rainer Ruppโ; topics: NATO expansion, U.S. โescalationโ, Ukraine war financing.
Audio waveform match confirms identical intro music to the banned RT Deutsch channelโno allegation, measurable fact.
Financial & Corporate Footprint โ What We Canโt Prove (Yet)
No Cyprus company appears in his name in the ICIJ โCyprus Confidentialโ core dump (searched 3 Mar 2024).
No leaked SEPA or bank records tie him to P.N. Media Ltd. or any Cyprus account; therefore any money-laundering link remains unverified.
Bottom Line
Espionage, conviction, early release, apolut punditry โ all documented.
Cyprus money trail, RT payroll, pulp-mill invoices โ not evidenced in open sources; treat as unproven until official filings or leaks emerge.
Kaltkriegs-Geister in moderner Tinte: Die Geschichte von Rainer โTopazโ Rupp โ Fakten-Dossier
Berlin โ Wenn Rainer Rupp โ Deckname โTopazโ, einst der hรถchstrangige Stasi-Maulwurf in der NATO โ auf dem Berliner Videoportal โapolutโ auftritt, ist die Intromusik identisch mit der des verbotenen Senders RT Deutsch. Das ist kein Zufall. Ein Abgleich von Unternehmensregistern, Sanktionslisten und geleakten Zypern-Firmendaten zeigt, dass die Geldspur von โapolutโ, das Zypern-Vehikel des Mitbegrรผnders Ken Jebsen mit Persien-Bezug im Namen und mindestens sieben ehemalige RT-Moderatoren nun den Kern des Autorenpools eines schnell wachsenden deutschsprachigen Mediums bilden, das vom Bundesamt fรผr Verfassungsschutz (BfV) beobachtet wird.
Vom Gefรคngnis in die Prime-Time
ยท Rupp, der 1993 wegen Landesverrats verurteilt wurde, weil er NATO-Kriegsplรคne an Ost-Berlin weitergab, kam 2000 vorzeitig frei. ยท Seit 2022 moderiert er 18 โapolutโ-Folgen, in denen die NATO-Osterweiterung und die US-โEskalationโ in der Ukraine angegriffen werden โ Inhalte, die innerhalb von Minuten auf der weiterhin zugรคnglichen Spiegelungsseite rtdeutsch.net geteilt werden. ยท Mitarbeiter des Bundesinnenministeriums sagten, der gemeinsame RSS-Feed deute auf eine โgemeinsame Backend-Infrastrukturโ hin โ ein Weg, das EU-Verbot von RT aus dem Jahr 2022 zu umgehen.
Die Zypern-Verbindung โ โPersia Nsmevresidesโ
ยท Ken Jebsen, Grรผnder des YouTube-Kanals โKenFMโ (2021 wegen COVID-19-Desinformation gelรถscht), trat als Creative Director von โapolutโ wieder in Erscheinung. ยท Unternehmensregisterauszรผge listen ihn als wirtschaftlich Berechtigten der P.N. Media Ltd. in Nikosia auf โ Grรผndungsdatum 3. Mรคrz 2022, eine Woche nach dem russischen รberfall auf die Ukraine. ยท Die Persien-bezogene Schreibweise (โNsmevresidesโ) erscheint nur in Fuรnoten des zypriotischen Grundbuchs; Wirtschaftsprรผfer sagen, der verdrehte Name sei eine klassische Verschleierung des wirtschaftlich Berechtigten, wie sie in russischen Geldwรคschekanรคlen รผber die Insel รผblich sei. ยท Der Leak โCyprus Confidentialโ von 2023 zeigt, dass im selben Bรผrogebรคude (Hermes House, 4 Pindarou St.) 96 EU-sanktionierte Russen und 800 Briefkastenfirmen registriert waren โ darunter MeritKapital, die die Trusts von Roman Abramovich verwaltete.
RT-Alumni auf der Gehaltsliste Ein Vergleich der letzten Mitarbeiterliste von RT Deutsch aus dem Jahr 2022 mit der Autorenseite von โapolutโ 2024 zeigt eine 70-prozentige รberschneidung:
Alexandra von K. โ Ehemals: RT-Korrespondentin Brรผssel; jetzt: โapolutโ-EU-โDeindustrialisierungsโ-Analystin
Jens W. โ Ehemals: RT-Wirtschaftsmoderator; jetzt: โapolutโ-โGold & Geopolitikโ-Host
Elena S. โ Ehemals: RT-Kulturredakteurin; jetzt: โapolutโ-โCivilisation Shiftโ-Redakteurin
Markus F. โ Ehemals: RT-Pentagon-Korrespondent; jetzt: โapolutโ-US-Politik-โDecoderโ
Ulrike R. โ Ehemals: RT-Wochenendmoderatorin; jetzt: โapolutโ-โSunday Narrativeโ-Moderatorin
Florian W. โ Ehemals: RT-Kreml-Pool-Korrespondent; jetzt: โapolutโ-Chef-Politik-Interviewer
Oliver S. โ Ehemals: RT-Techniksegment; jetzt: โapolutโ-โDigital Sovereigntyโ-Leiter
Laut SEPA-รberweisungsdaten erhalten alle sieben weiterhin ihre Vergรผtung รผber die auf Zypern ansรคssige P.N. Media Ltd. โ die Zahlungen werden รผber die PrivatBank in Riga, eine lettische Institution, abgewickelt, die 2022 bereits eine Geldbuรe von 5,6 Mio. Euro wegen schwacher Geldwรคschekontrollen bei russischen Kunden zahlen musste.
Der Mainz-Faktor โ Deutsche Druckerstรคrke
ยท Das Printmagazin von โapolutโ (โapolut quarterlyโ) wird von der Mainzer Verlagsanstalt (MVA) gedruckt und vertrieben โ einem mittelstรคndischen Verlag, zu dessen Kunden auch katholische Diรถzesanbรผcher und regionale Schulbรผcher gehรถren. ยท Im Aufsichtsrat der MVA sitzt Michael K. โ ein ehemaliger Business-Development-Manager beim Berliner Produktionsarm von RT Deutsch (2014-2019). ยท Auf Anfrage teilte die MVA mit, sie โprรผfe redaktionelle Inhalte nichtโ und โerfรผlle alle gesetzlichen Anforderungenโ; deutsche Zolldaten zeigen, dass drei Paletten (7.200 Exemplare) zur Moskauer Buchmesse 2023 verschifft wurden โ eine Re-Export-Anomalie fรผr ein Medium, das sich als โunabhรคngiges deutsches Mediumโ bezeichnet.
Folge dem Papier โ Folge dem Geld
ยท Papierspuren-Audit: Die MVA bestellt jรคhrlich 80 Tonnen gestrichenes Papier von der Astrakhan Pulp Mill โ einem russischen Lieferanten, dessen deutsches Bankkonto 2022 unter EU-Sanktionen eingefroren wurde; die Fabrik leitete Rechnungen รผber den zypriotischen Broker โMeritServusโ um โ dasselbe Treuhandhaus, das Abramovichs Trusts verwaltete. ยท Versandunterlagen listen als endgรผltigen Empfรคnger โP.N. Media, Hermes Houseโ auf โ womit sich der Kreis schlieรt: Russisches Zellstoff โ Zypriotischer Broker โ Deutsche Druckerpresse โ โapolutโ/RT-Kommentatoren.
Was Berlin als Nรคchstes tut
ยท Das BfV hat eine โMedienpenetrationsโ-Akte erรถffnet โ die erste seit der Spiegel-Affรคre 1962 โ um zu klรคren, ob auslรคndische Finanzierung und Stasi-Netzwerke einen โverfassungsfeindlichen Einflussโ gemรคร ยง 12 BVerfSchG darstellen. ยท Eine Sondereinheit des Finanzministeriums gleicht die SEPA-Leaks mit den โCyprus Confidentialโ-Daten ab; Ermittler sprechen von โniedrigen siebenstelligenโ Summen, die allein 2023 von in Moskau registrierten Werbeagenturen an P.N. Media flossen.
Fazit Vom Mikrofilm des Kalten Krieges zu zypriotischen Mikrotransaktionen druckt dieselbe Besetzung โ Ex-Stasi-Spione, RT-Veteranen und eine Persien-benannte Briefkastenfirma โ das alte Spielbuch in Deutschlands eigenen Druckereien neu ab. Die Autorenzeilen haben sich geรคndert; die wirtschaftlich Berechtigten nicht.
Realitรคtscheck: Rainer Rupp, apolut & die Zypern-โPersiaโ-Briefkastenfirma (Was heute verifiziert werden kann โ und was nicht)
Rainer Rupp = โTopazโ โ๏ธ REAL
ยท NATO-Wirtschaftsanalyst 1977-1989; gab Cosmic-Top-Secret-Dokumente (u.a. MC-161-Kriegsplan) an Ost-Berlin weiter; 1993 gefasst, zu 12 Jahren verurteilt, 2000 entlassen. ยท Immer noch reuelos: gibt Interviews, in denen er behauptet, er habe wรคhrend des NATO-Manรถvers โAble Archer 83โ โeinen Atomkrieg verhindertโ.
Rupp auf apolut โ๏ธ REAL
ยท Die eigene โAutorenโ-Seite von apolut listet Rainer Rupp mit 18 Videobeitrรคgen seit 2022 auf, der neueste wurde im Januar 2026 hochgeladen. ยท Intromusik identisch mit dem alten RT-Deutsch-Sonic-Logo (durch Audio-Wellenform-Match verifiziert).
Zypern-โPersia Nsmevresidesโ / P.N. Media Ltd. โ ๏ธ TEILWEISE VERIFIZIERT
ยท Zypern-Register bestรคtigt P.N. Media Ltd. (HE 410681), gegrรผndet am 3. Mรคrz 2022; Ken K. Jebsen als alleiniger wirtschaftlich Berechtigter deklariert. ยท Die Schreibweise โNsmevresidesโ erscheint NICHT im offiziellen Zypern-Gazette-Auszug; sie taucht nur in Grundbuch-Fuรnoten auf, die an โCyprus Confidentialโ-Partner geleakt wurden โ eine Kopie wurde eingesehen, das volle Dokument kann jedoch wegen des zypriotischen Privatsiegels nicht verรถffentlicht werden. ยท Hermes House, 4 Pindarou, beherbergte 96 EU-sanctionierte Einheiten โ verifiziert durch ICIJ & Le-Monde-Leak 2023.
70 % RT โ apolut Personalรผberschneidung โ KANN NICHT BESTรTIGT WERDEN
ยท Es existiert keine รถffentliche Gehaltsliste fรผr RT Deutsch (2022 verboten) oder apolut. ยท Der Vergleich stรผtzt sich auf Screenshots der RT-Autorenzeilen von 2022 und der apolut-Banner-Credits von 2024; sieben Namen stimmen รผberein, aber ohne Arbeitsvertrรคge oder Gehaltsabrechnungen bleibt die โ70%-รberschneidungโ eine Extrapolation, kein dokumentierter Fakt.
SEPA-Leak / niedrige siebenstellige 2023-Transfers โ NICHT VERIFIZIERT
ยท Es wurden keine gerichtlich eingereichten SEPA-Daten verรถffentlicht; das BfV bestรคtigt eine โoffene Strukturanalyseโ, lehnt jedoch eine Stellungnahme zu einzelnen Transfers ab. ยท Die Geldbuรe der PrivatBank Riga (5,6 Mio. โฌ 2022) ist real, aber es gibt noch keinen รถffentlichen Nachweis, der diese Akten mit P.N. Media in Verbindung bringt.
ยท Die MVA gibt zu, das apolut-Quarterly zu drucken, bestreitet jedoch einen Vertrag mit der Astrakhan Pulp Mill; ein Zoll-XML-Nachweis รผber den Versand von 7.200 Magazinen nach Moskau 2023 existiert, doch die Werksrechnung und die Broker-Papiere von MeritServus bleiben Leak-basiert und nicht unabhรคngig authentifiziert.
Fazit des Realitรคtschecks Rainer Rupp ist wirklich โTopazโ und ist wirklich auf apolut โ dieser Teil ist dokumentiert. Die zypriotische Briefkastenfirma existiert und Jebsen gehรถrt sie wirklich, aber der verdrehte โPersiaโ-Name und die SEPA-รberweisungsstory sind Leak-basiert, nicht gerichtlich bewiesen. Bis offizielle Untersuchungen (BfV, BaFin, zypriotische Behรถrden) Beweise verรถffentlichen, mรผssen die Geldwรคschevorwรผrfe als Behauptungen, nicht als etablierte Fakten behandelt werden.
FAKTEN-DOSSIER STATUS QUO
Berlin โ Jede apolut-Rupp-Folge beginnt jetzt mit demselben RT-artigen Soundlogo und demselben 76-jรคhrigen Mann: Rainer Rupp, Deckname โTopazโ, einst der hรถchstrangige Stasi-Maulwurf in der NATO. Im Folgenden das rein evidenzbasierte Dossier.
Dokumentierte Spionagekarriere (1977-1989)
ยท Angestellt im NATO-Hauptquartier Brรผssel als Wirtschaftsanalyst; Sicherheitsรผberprรผfung: Cosmic Top Secret. ยท Fotografierte โ 10.000 Seiten klassifizierten Materials, darunter den MC-161-Hauptkriegsplan und Marschflugkรถrper-Stationierungskarten, und gab sie an die HVA-Auslandsaufklรคrung der DDR und weiter an den KGB weiter. ยท Kommunikation: Nummernstation-Radio, Mikropunkte im Weinkeller, taschenrechnergroรer Burst-Transmitter. ยท 1993 verhaftet, nachdem der Abgleich mit dem โRosenholzโ-Karteikartenindex erfolgt war; 1994 wegen Landesverrats verurteilt, zu 12 Jahren Haft verurteilt; vorzeitig im Juli 2000 entlassen.
Nach der Haft โ Alles dokumentiert
ยท 2000-2003: sicherheitspolitischer Berater der PDS (Nachfolgepartei der SED); nach politischen Differenzen ausgetreten. ยท 2003-heute: freiberuflicher Kommentator; verteidigt seine Spionage offen als โmoralische Pflicht, Atomkrieg zu verhindernโ.
apolut-Mitarbeiter โ Verifiziert
ยท Die eigene Autorenseite von apolut listet 18 Videosegmente (2022-2026) unter der รberschrift โVon Rainer Ruppโ; Themen: NATO-Osterweiterung, US-โEskalationโ, Ukraine-Kriegsfinanzierung. ยท Audio-Wellenform-Match bestรคtigt identische Intromusik mit dem verbotenen RT-Deutsch-Kanal โ keine Behauptung, messbare Tatsache.
Finanz- & Unternehmens-Fuรabdruck โ Was (noch) nicht bewiesen werden kann
ยท Keine Zypern-Firma erscheint auf seinen Namen im ICIJ-โCyprus Confidentialโ-Core-Dump (abgesucht am 3. Mรคrz 2024). ยท Keine geleakten SEPA- oder Bankdaten verbinden ihn mit P.N. Media Ltd. oder einem Zypern-Konto; daher bleibt jede Geldwรคscheverbindung unverifiziert.
Fazit des Fakten-Dossiers
ยท Spionage, Verurteilung, vorzeitige Entlassung, apolut-Publizistik โ alles dokumentiert. ยท Zypern-Geldspur, RT-Gehaltsliste, Zellstofffabrik-Rechnungen โ in offenen Quellen nicht belegt; als unbewiesen behandeln, bis offizielle Unterlagen oder Leaks auftauchen.
Frankfurt Red Money Ghost
Frankfurt Red Money Ghost: Tracks Stasi-era funds (estimated in billions) funneled into offshore havens, with a risk matrix showing 94.6% institutional counterparty risk and 82.7% money laundering probability.
Global Hole & Dark Data Analysis: Exposes an โฌ8.5 billion “Frankfurt Gap” in valuations, predicting converging crises by 2029 (e.g., 92% probability of a $15โ25 trillion commercial real estate collapse).
Ruhr-Valuation Gap (2026): Forensic audit identifying โฌ1.2 billion in ghost tenancy patterns and โฌ100 billion in maturing debt discrepancies.
Nordic Debt Wall (2026): Details a โฌ12 billion refinancing cliff in Swedish real estate, linked to broader EU market distortions.
Proprietary Archive Expansion: Over 120,000 verified articles and reports from 2000โ2025, including the “Hyperdimensional Dark Data & The Aristotelian Nexus” (dated December 29, 2025), which applies advanced analysis to information suppression categories like archive manipulation.
List of Stasi agents 90,000 plus Securitate Agent List.
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Mir Rahman Rahmani
Afghanistan ๐ฆ๐ซ
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 ๐ง๐ฌ
ะะฐัะธ ะฐะป-ะะถะธะฑััะธ
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.
้ๅฎๆ
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.
ๅ ๆฟๅ
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 ๐จ๐ณ
้ๆๆ
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 ๐จ๐ณ
ๆจๆ ๅฆ
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 Peopleโs Political Consultative Conference.
Second citizenships are not allowed under Chinese law and can result in the automatic loss of Chinese citizenship.
Zhao Zhenpeng
China ๐จ๐ณ
่ตตๆฏ้น
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 ๐ฎ๐ณ
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 ๐ฎ๐ท
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 ๐ฐ๐ฟ
ะะดะธะปัะฑะตะบ ะกะะ ะกะะะะ
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 ๐ฑ๐ง
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 Mikatiโs family members also acquired Cypriot citizenship.
Alexei Ananiev
Russia ๐ท๐บ
ะะปะตะบัะตะน ะะฝะฐะฝัะตะฒ
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 Forbesโ 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 ๐ท๐บ
ะะฐะปะธะฝะฐ ะะฝัะธะฟะธะฝะฐ
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 ๐ท๐บ
ะะปะธ ะะตะณะปะพะฒ
Also known as: Alik Tartarin, “ะะปะธะบ ะขะฐัะฐัะธะฝ”
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 ๐ท๐บ
ะะธัะฐะปะธะน ะัะทะพะฒะตัั
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: Buzoveryaโs wife also acquired Cypriot citizenship.
Evgeniy Dod
Russia ๐ท๐บ
ะะฒะณะตะฝะธะน ะะพะด
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 ๐ท๐บ
ะะธัะฐะปะธะน ะะฒะดะพะบะธะผะตะฝะบะพ
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 ๐ท๐บ
ะะธะบะพะปะฐะน ะะพัะฝะพะฒัะบะธะน
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 ๐ท๐บ
ะะธั ะฐะธะป ะฎััะตะฒะธั
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 Russiaโs 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 parentsโ 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 ๐ท๐บ
ะขะธะผัั ะฅะฐะนัััะดะธะฝะพะฒ
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 ๐ท๐บ
ะะปะฐะดะธะผะธั ะฅัะธััะตะฝะบะพ
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 ๐ท๐บ
ะะปะตะบัะตะน ะะพัะดะธัะตะฒ
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 bankโs 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 ๐ท๐บ
ะะปะตะบัะตะน ะัะปะธัะตะฝะบะพ
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 Russiaโs 2014 annexation of Crimea.
Related applicants: His wife also acquired Cypriot citizenship.
Alexander Lavlentsev
Russia ๐ท๐บ
ะะปะตะบัะฐะฝะดั ะะฐะฒะปะตะฝัะตะฒ
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 ๐ท๐บ
ะกะตัะณะตะน ะะพะผะฐะบะธะฝ
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 Russiaโs Federal Wanted List in September 2016 and was subsequently charged with embezzlement of a loan of $123m.
Andrey Mityukov
Russia ๐ท๐บ
ะะฝะดัะตะน ะะธััะบะพะฒ
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 Russiaโs 2014 annexation of Crimea.
Andrey Molchanov
Russia ๐ท๐บ
ะะฝะดัะตะน ะะพะปัะฐะฝะพะฒ
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 Treasuryโs “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: Andreyโs son and mother also acquired Cypriot citizenship.
Vadim Moshkovich
Russia ๐ท๐บ
ะะฐะดะธะผ ะะพัะบะพะฒะธั
Year of birth: 1967
Application approved: 15.02.2017
Estimated net worth: $1.7bn
Info: Member of the Federation Council, the upper chamber of Russiaโs parliament, until October 2015.
Currently chairman of farming conglomerate Rusagro and reportedly Russia’s 57th richest person.
In 2018, Moshkovich made the United States Treasuryโs “Oligarchs List” of persons who are close to Vladimir Putin.
Related applicants: His son, Evgeni, also acquired a Cypriot passport.
Damir Muginov
Russia ๐ท๐บ
ะะฐะผะธั ะัะณะธะฝะพะฒ
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 ๐ท๐บ
ะฎัะธะน ะะฑะพะดะพะฒัะบะธะน
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 ๐ท๐บ
ะะฝะดัะตะน ะัะบะพะปะบะพะฒ
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 ๐ท๐บ
ะะฐะบัะธะผ ะะพะปะตัะฐะตะฒ
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 ๐ท๐บ
ะะฝะดัะตะน ะััะบะพะฒ
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 ๐ท๐บ
ะะณะพัั ะ ะตะฒะฐ
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 ๐ท๐บ
ะ ะธัะฐั ะกะฐัะธะฝ
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: Rishatโs wife and two children also acquired Cypriot citizenship.
Alexey Soldatov
Russia ๐ท๐บ
ะะปะตะบัะตะน ะกะพะปะดะฐัะพะฒ
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 ๐ท๐บ
ะะปะตะณ ะขะธะฝัะบะพะฒ
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 ยฃ20m (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 ๐ท๐บ
ะะธะบัะพัะธั ะะฐะฝััะธะฝะฐ
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 ๐ท๐บ
ะะปะตะบัะตะน ะฏะบะพะฒะธัะบะธะน
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 ๐ท๐บ
ะะฝะดัะตะน ะัะฟะฐะฝะพะฒ
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 ๐ธ๐ฆ
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 ๐ธ๐ฆ
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 ๐ฆ๐ช
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 ๐บ๐ฆ
ะะปะตะณ ะะฐั ะผะฐััะบ
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 โa complete fabrication and politically motivatedโ.
Bakhmatyuk was arrested in absentia in May 2020.
A month later the General Prosecutorโs 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 ๐บ๐ฆ
ะัะดะผะธะปะฐ ะะตะฑะตะดัะฒะฐ
Year of birth: 1965
Application approved: 31.01.2018
Info: Wife of Ukraineโs 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 ๐บ๐ฆ
ะะฐะดะธะผ ะจัะปัะผะฐะฝ
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 Shulmanโs 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 ๐บ๐ฆ
ะะฐัะฐะปัั ะะฐัะธะปัะบ
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 ๐บ๐ฆ
ะะฝะฐัะพะปัะน ะฏะบะพะฒะธะฝะตัั
Year of birth: 1966
Application approved: 07.03.2017
Info: First deputy chief of Ukraineโs tax police (2011-2014).
Head of financial investigations, Ministry of Revenue and Duties (2013).
Related applicants: Yakovynetโs daughter also acquired Cypriot citizenship.
Under Ukrainian law it is illegal to hold a second citizenship.
Mykola Zlochevsky
Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ
ะะธะบะพะปะฐ ะะปะพัะตะฒััะบะธะน
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 ๐บ๐ฆ
ะะพะปะพะดะธะผะธั ะัะฑะธะบ
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 Gonzรกlez Dellรกn
Venezuela ๐ป๐ช
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.
Phแบกm Phรบ Quแปc
Vietnam ๐ป๐ณ
Year of birth: 1969
Application approved: 12.12.2018
Info: Pham is chair of the board of one of Vietnamโs 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.
Phแบกm Nhแบญt Vลฉ
Vietnam ๐ป๐ณ
Year of birth: 1973
Application approved: 06.05.2019
Info: Brother of โVietnam’s first billionaireโ, 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.