Arkady Volozh

Function: co-founder and CEO of Yandex N.V.

Russian State-owned banks such as Sberbank and VTB are shareholders and investors in Yandex. Arkady Volozh is a Russian businessperson with business interests in IT and technology. He is the founder and former CEO of Yandex, having resigned following his listing by the European Union. He is a major shareholder of Yandex, the largest Internet company in Russia, operating Russia’s most popular search engine. Yandex operates in the ICT sector, which brings considerable tax revenue to the Government of the Russian Federation. In 2019, Yandex agreed to a restructuring that gave a “golden share” to a newly formed Public Interest Foundation built to “defend the Russian Federation interests”. Through the Public Interest Foundation, the Government of the Russian Federation is able to have a veto over a defined list of issues, such as the sale of material IP and the sale or transfer of Russian users’ personal data to foreign companies, both of which are deemed to affect Russia’s “national interest”. Yandex is also responsible for promoting State media and narratives in its search results, and deranking and removing content critical of the Kremlin, such as content related to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Since the start of the war, Yandex has followed the information policy and censorship of the Government of the Russian Federation. The search results of Yandex search engine have complied with the demands of the Russian authorities, showing only the sources related to Russian pro-war propaganda. Moreover, Yandex helped websites pushing false and pro-Russian claims about the invasion of Ukraine to make profit through digital advertising. Therefore, Volozh is a businessperson involved in economic sectors providing a substantial source of revenue to the Government of the Russian Federation, which is responsible for the annexation of Crimea and the destabilisation of Ukraine. Furthermore, he supported, materially or financially, the Government of the Russian Federation and is responsible for, supporting actions or policies which undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.

Mentioned in 2018 CAATSA report on Russian oligarchs

Russian businessman