Support The Moscow Times!

Kremlin Shrugs off Limits on Russian Business Leaders at Davos Forum

Oleg Deripaska (Mikhail Metsel / TASS)

The Kremlin on Monday shrugged off reported restrictions on Russian business leaders who take part in the Davos world economic forum in January and said it welcomed a move by the organizers to lift a ban on several Russian tycoons.

The Financial Times reported last month that Oleg Deripaska, Viktor Vekselberg and Andrey Kostin had been told to stay away from the high-profile forum due to caution over dealing with business people under sanctions from Washington.

Russia's RIA news agency cited a government source on Saturday as saying the ban had been lifted. But online news portal The Bell reported on Monday that organizers had made lifting the ban conditional on the Russian business people not appearing on panels with U.S. citizens at the forum or attending any U.S.-organised side events.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Moscow welcomed the move to allow the business leaders to attend and shrugged off any restrictions on them, saying they could meet business people and officials from other nations instead. 

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more