Support The Moscow Times!

Russian Tycoon Mazepin Denies Funding Belarus Opposition

Dmitry Mazepin. Vyacheslav Prokofyev / TASS

Russian fertilizer tycoon Dmitry Mazepin denied Monday that he had financed opposition social media in his native Belarus after a jailed journalist hinted at an unnamed Urals oligarch’s role in the country’s anti-government protests last summer.

“Neither I nor my companies have ever financed the [Nexta] Telegram channel,” Mazepin said in a video interview published by the RBC news website.

Nexta's co-founder and former editor Roman Protasevich, who was arrested with his Russian girlfriend after their flight was forced to land in Minsk on May 23, told state television that a company run by an unnamed Russian businessman from the Urals had sponsored the project. 

Protasevich’s allies and Western powers have denounced the televised interview, saying it was filmed under duress.

Observers said Mazepin — the Minsk-born owner of the Uralchem chemicals company who had called for dialogue to end the harsh crackdown on anti-government rallies that broke out after the August 2020 Belarus presidential election — fit Protasevich’s description. 

St. Petersburg media reported Friday that Mazepin had unexpectedly withdrawn from a scheduled roundtable at Russia's flagship St. Petersburg International Economic Forum after the Protasevich interview aired the previous evening.

Mazepin on Monday said that Nexta, which galvanized the Belarusian protests and had 2 million subscribers at its peak, goes against his views and allegations of his involvement are part of widespread claims of Russian influence in the ex-Soviet republic’s affairs.

“I understand the authors of this political melodrama well. On the one hand, they would like to show a plan by Western special services to capture Belarus and on the other hand to show the Russian trace,” the tycoon said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov cast doubt upon Mazepin’s role in financing Belarusian opposition social media, telling reporters at a daily briefing that Protasevich may have been referring to a different Urals businessman.

“Mazepin wasn’t accused of anything. Actually, Protasevich never said the last name Mazepin. Perhaps he or the Belarusian side should explain who he’s talking about, you can’t play cat-and-mouse here,” Peskov was quoted as saying Monday.

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