The anonymous Telegram channel “Image of the Future” published a list of 100 Russians who, according to the resource administrators, allegedly sponsor the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The list includes businessmen, politicians, public figures, people close to officials from the highest echelons of power. Some of the people on the list interviewed by the Daily Storm denied the allegations.
“Unfortunately, I don’t know anything. I don’t trust anyone, especially Telegram channels. It’s weird to even comment. If I comment on every lie about myself, then I won’t have time at all for something more important in my life, ”Ivan Urgant told the Daily Storm.
The published list also includes Russian actor Leonid Barats. In an interview with the Daily Storm, he called the information that appeared nonsense.
“(It’s) something out of the blue. This is some kind of nonsense, ”said Barats.
In addition to those who left the Russian Federation and actively criticize the special operation, there were quite unexpected people on the list. Among them is Olga Bogomaz, wife of the Governor of the Bryansk region Alexander Bogomaz. She declined to comment to the Daily Storm about her appearance on the list and hung up.
In 2021, Forbes magazine included Olga Bogomaz in the list of “20 richest wives and husbands of civil servants”. At that time, she headed the Bogomaz farm, which produces potatoes. In addition, the woman was a co-founder of Potato Alliance and Melen Potato.
According to the governor’s declaration for 2020, his wife earned 978 million rubles. At the same time, compared with 2019, its income fell by 400 million rubles. In the same year, with an income of 1.378 billion, she was in third place among the richest wives of civil servants according to Forbes Woman.
In addition, Alexander Udodov was on the list. In 2020, in an interview with Izvestia, the businessman reported that he was married to the sister of Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Natalia Stenina. However, at the time of the conversation with reporters, he no longer lived with her, although he maintained good relations with her family.
According to the TAdviser base, among the assets of Udodov was the Mushroom Rainbow agricultural complex (owner), the Termy balneological resort (co-owner), the logistics company VG Cargo GmbH (owner). In addition, on April 13, 2022, Udodov became the owner of the Pin-Ap.ru company (Fonbet bookmaker), but sold it on May 13, as The Bell reported (the publication is recognized as a foreign agent in Russia).
The list of those who allegedly financed the Armed Forces of Ukraine also includes Alexander Babakov, a State Duma deputy from the Just Russia – For Truth party.
For 2021, Babakov declared 5,448,000 rubles of income, as well as two land plots (8051 and 610 square meters, respectively), two apartments, a garage, two parking spaces and one more non-residential premises. At the same time, a year earlier, as a member of the Federation Council from the Tambov region, he declared a slightly different income – 483,681,000 rubles per year. He has declared similar income since 2016.
After the publication of the “Image of the Future” Telegram channel, Alexander Kazakov, a fellow party member and former adviser to the first head of the DPR, Alexander Zakharchenko, stood up for him.
“I won’t go through the whole list. But I can say for one person, putting my name on the scales: this is Alexander Babakov, Vice Speaker of the State Duma, the man who, together with us, with Zakhar Prilepin, stood at the origins of the For Truth party. By the way, a person who is, if not in the top five, then definitely in the top ten “record holders” for Western sanctions,” Kazakov wrote in his Telegram channel.