Andrey Kostin Explained

Andrey Kostin
Native Name:Андрей Костин
Native Name Lang:ru
Birth Name:Andrey L. Kostin
Birth Date:September 21, 1956
Birth Place:Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Nationality:Russian
Occupation:Chairman of United Shipbuilding Corporation
Alma Mater:Moscow State University, Faculty of Economics

Andrey Leonidovich Kostin (Russian: Андрей Леонидович Костин; born September 21, 1956) is a Russian businessman who is chairman of the United Shipbuilding Corporation's Board of Directors since August 25, 2023. President and Chairman of the Board of VTB since June 10, 2002

Education and career

In 1973, Kostin began studies at Moscow State University, graduating in 1979 with a degree in political economy. He subsequently worked at the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[1] From that year, until 1982 he was an employee of the USSR Consulate General in Sydney, Australia. From 1982 to 1985, he was Secretary of the European Department of the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[2] In 1985, he became an employee of the USSR Embassy in Great Britain working on economic issues with the KGB spy Alexander Lebedev, where he remained until 1990.[3] [4] From then to 1992, he was First Secretary, Advisor to the European Department of the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs.He is the president of the Financial and Banking Council of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS-FBC)[5] [6] from 2006 to 2017, being succeeded by Vadim Kumin.[7]

In May 2017, Kostin suggested the Washington elite was purposefully disrupting the presidency of Donald Trump by spreading false accusations about his ties to Russia.[8] In January 2018, Kostin said that additional sanctions against Russian individuals or entities would be an "economic war".[9] [10]

He is on the supervisory board of Post Bank.[11]

On August 25, 2023, Kostin was elected as the chairman of the Board of Directors of the United Shipbuilding Corporation by the board.[12]

Criticism and corruption allegations

Blocking of publications by Roskomnadzor

On April 4, 2019, the Vedomosti newspaper drew attention to the massive blocking of publications by Roskomnadzor on the Internet, most of which mentioned gifts from VTB bank president Andrei Kostin to, a television journalist and his longtime girlfriend. In the interests of VTB, and by a court decision, Roskomnadzor blocked about 1000 publications.[13]

On December 2, 2019, FBK’s Alexei Navalny released an investigation about Kostin's relationship with Naila Asker-zade on YouTube. In this video Alexei Navalny accused Kostin of making gifts to journalist Nailya Asker-zade[14] (use of a business jet, yacht, house in the cottage village, two apartments, one of them directly from VTB, second from Kirill Zimarin, the head of a subsidiary of VTB in Cyprus) with proof from her Instagram account. Kostin, according to Navalny in his video clip, uses money belonging to the bank, 60.9% of which is state-owned, to buy luxurious real estate for his beloved. According to The Bell said that there is a link between VTB and the business jet, but not with the yacht, and that it is impossible to draw a conclusion about the owners of the plane and yacht, as well as who paid for the journalist's travels. On December 25, 2019, Kostin said that he would think about what actions to take about the investigation, and refused to comment.[15] [16]

Sanctions

In April 2018, the United States imposed sanctions on him and 23 other Russian nationals.[17] [18]

On March 15, 2019, Canada imposed sanctions on a number of individuals, including Kostin, over violations of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.[19] He was also sanctioned by decree of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on June 24, 2021.[20]

On February 23, 2022, after Russia's recognition of the DPR and LPR, Kostin was included in the sanctions list of all countries of the European Union.[21]

Following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the UK imposed sanctions on Kostin which involved freezing his assets and a travel ban.[22] After the invasion, Switzerland, Japan, New Zealand and Australia also imposed sanctions.[23] [24] [25] [26] [27]

Sanctions evasion charges

On February 22, 2024, the United States Department of Justice charged Kostin and two associates, Vadim Wolfson and Gannon Bond, with money laundering and violating the American sanctions against him. Allegedly, Wolfson and Bond renovated and sold Kostin's luxury home in Aspen on his behalf and wired him around $12 million of the proceeds, and illegally used American currency to maintain Kostin's superyachts.[28] The three are also accused of laundering funds through a series of shell companies for these purposes. Wolfson and Bond were arrested that morning and presented to federal courts, while Kostin avoided arrest due to residing in Russia.[29]

Personal life

According to official data, Kostin is married, has children and a grandson.[30] Nailya Asker-Zade, a reporter on the state-run channel Russia-24, is his long-time girlfriend.[31] [32]

His eldest son Andrey (1978–2011), worked as deputy chairman of the board of Deutsche Bank in Russia. He died on July 2, 2011, during a trip on an ATV while on vacation in the Yaroslavl Region.[33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Человек при деньгах. 1001.ru. 14 June 2012.
  2. Web site: Глава ВТБ Андрей Костин — РБК: "К великой изоляции пришли все". RBC. 20 April 2020 .
  3. News: Седунов . Александр (Sedunov, Alexander) . 25 лет Всемирной Истории с Банком Империал . 25 years of World History with Imperial Bank . ru . Information Agency InterRight . 17 August 2015 . 22 March 2022 . 23 March 2022 . https://archive.today/20220323003516/https://inright.ru/news/economy/20150817/id_10557.
  4. News: Elliott. John. Ungoed-Thomas . Jon. Tycoon linked with Litvinenko 'survived poisoning'. . London . 7 January 2007. 22 March 2022 . 24 February 2020 . https://archive.today/20200224173756/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/tycoon-linked-with-litvinenko-survived-poisoning-cpklclqbfn7.
  5. Web site: Andrey Kostin official bio . vtb.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20170802175708/http://www.vtb.com/group/management/guide/kostin/ . 2017-08-02.
  6. Web site: Profile – Andrey Leonidovich Kostin. The Wall Street Journal. 2022-04-23.
  7. Web site: Биография – Вадим Валентинович Кумин. https://web.archive.org/web/20180906145358/https://www.kumin.online/?page_id=149. 2018-09-06. ru.
  8. News: Arnold. Martin. Buckley. Neil. Putin ally accuses US elite of 'paralysing' Trump. 30 May 2017. Financial Times. 30 May 2017.
  9. News: Golubkova . Katya . Antonov . Dmitry . Russia's VTB bank head Kostin shrugs off U.S. sanctions risk . Reuters . January 22, 2018 . May 18, 2018.
  10. News: Rudnitsky . Jake . Lacqua . Francine . U.S. Sanctions Would Be 'Economic War' to Head of Russia's VTB . Bloomberg . January 24, 2018 . May 18, 2018.
  11. News: Избран новый состав наблюдательного совета "Почта Банка" . Post Bank (Russia) website . ru . The new composition of the Supervisory Board "Bank of the Post" was elected . December 27, 2017 . February 15, 2018 . February 13, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180213135152/https://www.pochtabank.ru/news/457247 . dead .
  12. Андрей Костин избран Председателем Совета директоров АО «ОСК». ru. United Shipbuilding Corporation. August 25, 2023. August 30, 2023.
  13. News: Роскомнадзор массово блокирует статьи о ВТБ и его президенте. Под запрет попало около 1000 публикаций, юристы называют это прецедентом . Ведомости . Ксения Болецкая, Екатерина Брызгалова . 2019-04-04.
  14. Web site: 2019-12-04. Russian officials appropriating jets for family and lovers, says activist. 2021-08-17. the Guardian. en.
  15. News: ВТБ снял рекламу в "Ведомостях" после статьи о Костине. По данным "Коммерсанта", газета может быть продана. The Bell. 2019-04-09.
  16. https://versia.ru/bank-vtb-andreya-kostina-sdelal-smi-predlozhenie-ot-kotorogo-nevozmozhno-otkazatsya Роскомнадзор массово блокирует статьи о ВТБ и его президенте
  17. Web site: Ukraine-/Russia-related Designations and Identification Update. 2018-04-06 . . 2018-04-06 .
  18. Web site: США ввели санкции против семи российских олигархов и 17 чиновников из "кремлевского списка" . The US imposed sanctions against seven Russian oligarchs and 17 officials from the "Kremlin list" . 2018-04-06 . . 2018-04-06 . ru.
  19. Web site: Government of Canada . Public Works and Government Services Canada . 2019-04-03 . Canada Gazette, Part 2, Volume 153, Number 7: Regulations Amending the Special Economic Measures (Russia) Regulations . 2022-12-29 . gazette.gc.ca.
  20. Web site: УКАЗ ПРЕЗИДЕНТА УКРАЇНИ №266/2021 . uk.
  21. Web site: EUR-Lex - 32022R0260 - EN - EUR-Lex . 2022-12-29 . eur-lex.europa.eu . en.
  22. Web site: 2022-03-10 . UK freezes assets of seven Russian oligarchs including Roman Abramovich . 2022-03-10 . . en.
  23. Web site: SECO . Staatssekretariat für Wirtschaft . Massnahmen im Zusammenhang mit der Situation in der Ukraine . 2022-12-29 . www.seco.admin.ch . de.
  24. Web site: Japan sanctions Russian oligarchs and Belarus officials . 2022-12-29 . UPI . en.
  25. Web site: Trade . New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and . Russia Sanctions . 2022-12-29 . New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade . en-NZ.
  26. Web site: Australia includes head of Russia's Central Bank in sanctions list . 2022-12-29 . Report News Agency . 8 April 2022 . en.
  27. Web site: CONSOLIDATED LIST OF FINANCIAL SANCTIONS TARGETS IN THE UK . 16 April 2023.
  28. News: U.S. charges head of Russian bank with sanctions evasion, arrests 2 in alleged money laundering scheme. CBS News. Robert. Legare. 22 February 2024.
  29. Web site: Sanctioned Russian Oligarch And Others Indicted For Sanctions Violations And Money Laundering. 22 February 2024. U.S. Department of Justice.
  30. News: Костин, Андрей - Биография. Лентапедия.
  31. News: Troianovski . Anton . 2019-12-03 . From a Russian Banker, a $4 Million Mansion and a 200-Foot Yacht . en-US . The New York Times . 2022-03-13 . 0362-4331.
  32. News: Moscow . Tom Parfitt . Andriy Kostin, Russian banker and Putin ally, 'lavished gifts on young girlfriend using state funds' . . en . 2022-03-13 . 0140-0460.
  33. http://www.gazeta.ru/auto/2011/07/04_a_3684801.shtml Биография заместителя председателя правления Deutsche Bank Андрея Костина
  34. Web site: Костин Андрей Леонидович. Kostin Andrey Leonidovich. ru. Lobbying.ru. October 17, 2018. March 31, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190331141247/http://www.lobbying.ru/content/persons/id_1893_linkid_2.html. dead.
  35. Web site: Костин Андрей. Kostin Andrey. ru. Lenta.ru. October 17, 2018.
  36. News: Troianovski. Anton. Anton Troianovski. Matsnev. Oleg. 2019-12-03. From a Russian Banker, a $4 Million Mansion and a 200-Foot Yacht. en. The New York Times. Moscow. limited. 2020-08-23. 0362-4331.
  37. News: Сын главы ВТБ Андрей Костин разбился на квадроцикле: 32-летний банкир погиб на отдыхе в Ярославской области . The son of the head of VTB Andrei Kostin crashed on a quad: 32-year-old banker died on holiday in the Yaroslavl region . ru . July 2, 2011 . . October 17, 2018.
  38. News: Погиб на трезвую голову: В ДТП погиб сын президента ВТБ Андрей Костин . Killed sober: The accident killed the son of the president of VTB Andrei Kostin . ru . July 4, 2011 . . Шипилов. Евгений . Танас. Ольга . October 17, 2018.
  39. News: Big German Bank, Key to Trump's Finances, Faces New Scrutiny. July 19, 2017. The New York Times. Protess. Ben. Silver-Greenberg. Jessica. Drucker. Jesse. December 17, 2018.

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