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Russian ex-tycoon protests outside London forum

Reuters

A Russian businessman who fled to Britain after losing his assets staged a protest in London on Wednesday to draw attention to the risks of investing in Russia.

Yevgeny Chichvarkin, who co-founded one of Russia’s biggest mobile phone companies, protested outside a state-sponsored Russian investment forum in a T-shirt showing his face above the slogan ‘Russia Calling?’ — a play on the forum’s slogan.

The fate of businessmen who have fallen foul of the Russian authorities and lost their businesses, often on charges of tax evasion or corruption, has tarnished Russia’s reputation among foreign investors.

“They (investors) think that if they agree on something with some of the corrupt officials, their business is secure”, he said. “Investors who bought Yukos shares also thought that, until they earned ‘zero’.”