Rusagro Moshkovich
The New Voice of Ukraine
Russian oligarchs' sons linked to American defense fund tied to ... - NV
The sons of two prominent Russian businessmen, Vadim Moshkovich and Petr Aven, are working at the American venture fund 8VC, which invests in companies that fulfill contracts for the U.S. Department of Defense and NATO, Forbes reported on Aug. 20.
https://english.nv.ua/nation/russian-oligarchs-sons-linked-to-american-defense-fund-tied-to-nato-and-pentagon-50444724.html
The sons of two prominent Russian businessmen, Vadim Moshkovich and Petr Aven, are working at the American venture fund 8VC, which invests in companies that fulfill contracts for the U.S. Department of Defense and NATO, Forbes reported on Aug. 20.
8VC hired Jack Moshkovich as an analyst in 2018 after he graduated from Stanford University. His father, the founder of the agricultural conglomerate Rusagro, was sanctioned by the West shortly after Russian dictator Vladimir Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine.
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In the summer of 2024, Jack Moshkovich obtained permanent residency in the United States. Denis Aven, the son of the co-founder of Alfa Group and the UK-based LetterOne, joined the fund in 2022, even though his father was already sanctioned by the EU and UK. The United States placed Petr Aven on its blacklist in 2023. Denis Aven is a Yale University graduate with an MBA from Harvard.
Joe Lonsdale, managing partner and co-founder of 8VC, explained that Denis Aven was hired after another private equity fund, fearing sanctions, refused him a position.
Lonsdale responded to Forbes’ inquiry with a lengthy post on X, where he praised Moshkovich as a "superstar" and Aven as a "top talent". He emphasized that 8VC strictly adheres to legal and regulatory norms but firmly stated, "I’m lucky to live in the greatest country in the world, and it will remain as such if we can keep working with the top talent of all backgrounds, including, yes, Chinese and Russians and Israelis et al, without demonizing people for imagined things they didn’t do." Lonsdale added, "We haven’t taken any money from their fathers or their fathers’ friends, and don’t need it."
8VC invests in a wide range of sectors, including defense-related companies. Among its investments are technology companies Palantir, co-founded by Lonsdale, and Anduril, both of which have billion-dollar contracts with the Pentagon. The fund has also backed billion-dollar startups like Saronic and Epirus, which specialize in unmanned maritime vehicles and anti-drone systems, respectively. Additionally, 8VC, along with the NATO Innovation Fund, has invested in the UK-based advanced composite materials manufacturer iCOMAT.
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By the end of 2024, the Ukrainian state budget is expected to receive 10 billion hryvnias ($241.7 million) from the sale of assets belonging to sanctioned individuals, including Russian oligarchs and collaborators.
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