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Vladimir Ashurkov

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In this name that follows East Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Lvovich and the family name is Ashurkov.
Vladimir Ashurkov
Владимир Ашурков
Ashurkov in 2013
Executive Director of the Anti-Corruption Foundation
Personal details
BornVladimir Lvovich Ashurkov
(1972-02-15) 15 February 1972 (age 54)
Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
PartyRussia of the Future
SpouseAlexandrina Markvo
Alma materMoscow Institute of Physics and Technology
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
Known for

Vladimir Lvovich Ashurkov (Russian: Владимир Львович Ашурков; born 15 February 1972) is a Russian political figure and the Executive Director of the Anti-Corruption Foundation. A former banker, Ashurkov was the Director of Group Portfolio Management and Control at Alfa Group Consortium from 2006 to 2012, when he was asked to step down due to his political involvement with Alexei Navalny.[1] He was also on the board of the X5 Retail Group during this time.[2]

In 2014, a panel of the Investigative Committee of Russia accused Ashurkov of embezzling funds from Alexei Navalny's 2013 Moscow mayoral campaign, after which he sought and was granted political asylum in the UK, claiming the allegations were politically motivated.[3] Both Ashurkov and Navalny claim that the allegations are unfounded.[4]

After relocating, Ashurkov organised bus tours for activists and journalists, similar to Roman Gul's "Kleptocrats Tour", "to show the opulence and corruption of the Russian oligarchy in London." He does this, says Ashurkov, according to the Stuttgarter Zeitung, to alert the British authorities to dirty money, as for example in Witanhurst owned by Andrey Guryev. Ashurkov advises the British government to dispense with the "dirty money", even though, according to Benjamin Plackett of Stuttgarter Zeitung, the "intertwining of Russian wealth with the British economy" complicates the policy.[5]

Early life and education

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Ashurkov was born in 1972 in Moscow[6] into a family of engineers who worked in research institutes of military–industrial complex.[7] He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.[8][9] In 1996, he graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with an MBA.[10][11]

Career in business

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Early career

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During the 1990s, Ashurkov worked as a financial analyst in PepsiCo Holding and as an investment banker in Renaissance Capital.[6] From 1999 onwards, he held executive roles in the transportation industry, including the post of financial director of the Saint Petersburg Sea Port.[8]

Alfa Group

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In 2006, he assumed the position of the Director of Group Portfolio Management at Alfa Group.[12] During his tenure, Ashurkov served as director of asset management at CTF Holdings, a subsidiary of Alfa Group, and as a board member of X5 Retail Group, one of Russia's largest food retail chains.[13][14]

Association with Alexei Navalny and departure from Alfa Group

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In 2009, Ashurkov started reading a blog of Alexey Navalny, then a young lawyer who was writing about corruption, on LiveJournal.[12] As he stated in a 2012 interview to "Novaya Gazeta", Ashurkov got interested in how Navalny approaches problems, and wrote him a letter offering help on correcting some of the cases.[11][6]

As Ashurkov’s collaboration with Navalny deepened, he became his key strategic advisor.[11][15] During this period, Ashurkov was involved in managing the business of Alfa Group as the Director of Group Portfolio Management and Control, a role that involved high-level strategic analysis and oversight of major investment projects.[16][17] In late 2010, Ashurkov informed the chairman of Alfa Group’s supervisory board, Mikhail Fridman, of his work with Navalny. While Fridman remained neutral, he cautioned that Ashurkov's political leanings might likely eventually necessitate his departure from the company.[11][18] In February 2012, Fridman requested his resignation, later stating that active political engagement was "not fully tolerable" for a business of Alfa Group’s scale in the Russian context.[17][19] Ashurkov resigned. In interviews, he stated that he had chosen civic engagement over his corporate career.[11][16]

Political career

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Foundation of ACF

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In 2012, Ashurkov became the executive director of the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), which had been founded by Alexei Navalny in 2011.[9] He is credited with moving it from a volunteer-based initiative to a structured NGO with dedicated legal and economic departments.[15] During the 2013 Moscow mayoral election, Ashurkov developed a crowdfunding mechanism for Navalny's campaign that sought to work within the constraints of Russian campaign finance regulations.[20]

Political persecution and immigration from Russia

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In October 2012, Ashurkov was elected to the Russian Opposition Coordination Council, receiving 28,754 votes in the general civil list.[21] in May 2014, Russian authorities opened a criminal case against him, Nikolai Lyaskin, and Konstantin Yankauskas, alleging embezzlement of funds from Navalny’s mayoral campaign.[22] Ashurkov dismissed the charges as politically motivated and left Russia for the United Kingdom in 2014.[23]

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Following Alexey Navalny’s arrest in January 2021, Ashurkov published an open letter to Western leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, containing a "List of 35" Russian officials and oligarchs recommended for targeted sanctions.[24] Ashurkov continued to assist in the FBK's international relations and strategy from London until stepping down as executive director in 2023.[9]

After relocating, Ashurkov participated as a guide in kleptocracy bus tours in London, organized by the campaign group ClampK and its founder Roman Borisovich.[25] In 2020, Ashurkov founded Zorge Partners Limited, a London-based firm specialising in investigations, due diligence, and litigation support, with a focus on Russia and Eastern Europe.[26]

Personal life

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Ashurkov is married to Alexandrina Markvo, a theatrical producer and the founder of the arts production company Bird & Carrot.[23][27] Markvo also sought and received asylum in the UK after being targeted by a fraud investigation in Russia that was regarded as politically motivated due to her husband's activism.[28] The couple resides in London with their two sons, Nikola and Lev, and Markvo's daughter from a previous marriage, Ariadna.[23][29]

References

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  1. ^ "Russian protest fund manager looks to elite for cash". Reuters. 2012-05-31. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  2. ^ Schuld und Sühne auf der britischen Bühne (tr. "Crime and Punishment on the British Stage ") 30 June 2017 nzz.ch, accessed 13 March 2022
  3. ^ Alec Luhn (April 2015). "Russian opposition activist Vladimir Ashurkov is granted asylum in UK". The Guardian. Retrieved 2020-10-31.
  4. ^ "Russia launches fraud case against supporter of Putin critic Navalny". Reuters. 2014-05-23. Retrieved 2017-07-15.
  5. ^ Stuttgarter Zeitung, Stuttgart Germany. "Super-rich in London: bus tour to oligarchs". Stuttgarter Zeitung. Retrieved 2020-10-22.
  6. ^ a b c "Q&A: Navalny's Fundraiser Sees the Power of the Crowd". The Moscow Times. 2012-10-10. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  7. ^ Бешлей, Ольга (2012-06-03). "Неутомимый оптимист". The New Times (in Russian). Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  8. ^ a b "Corporate Governance Report". X5 Group. 2011. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  9. ^ a b c "Russian Opposition in the Time of War of Ukraine". Johns Hopkins University. 2023-03-13.
  10. ^ "Our Team: Vladimir Ashurkov". Sloane Services. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  11. ^ a b c d e Хачатрян, Диана (2012-04-27). "Владимир АШУРКОВ: «Ради чего молчать и бояться?»". Новая газета (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2012-05-15.
  12. ^ a b "'Sanctions should be more nuanced': Vladimir Ashurkov on Russia, Ukraine, and Navalny". Disruption Banking. 2023-04-30. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  13. ^ Weaver, Courtney (2015-04-02). "UK grants asylum to Russian dissident". Financial Times. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  14. ^ "Schedule 13D Amendment". SEC.gov. 2009-11-19. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  15. ^ a b "Moment that mattered: Alexei Navalny is arrested upon his return to Russia". Delayed Gratification. 2026-02-20.
  16. ^ a b Тофанюк, Елена (2012-04-25). "«Я понимал, что сотрудничество с Навальным может быть угрозой для моей работы»". Forbes Russia (in Russian).
  17. ^ a b "Ashurkov Bridging the Gap Between Business and Politics for Navalny". The Moscow Times. 2012-06-05.
  18. ^ "'The main risk is that they'll kill us all': How Navalny's team worked". Meduza. 2024-05-10. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  19. ^ "Х5 рассталась с топ-менеджером из-за политических взглядов". BFM.ru (in Russian). 2012-04-14.
  20. ^ "Russia's Soviet Assault on Navalny's Online Fundraising". Global Voices. 2013-08-13. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  21. ^ "Russia: the opposition's Coordinating Council has been chosen". OSW. 2012-10-24.
  22. ^ "Navalny Associate Says Granted Asylum In Britain". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 2015-04-01.
  23. ^ a b c Luhn, Alec (2015-04-01). "Russian opposition activist Vladimir Ashurkov is granted asylum in UK". The Guardian. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  24. ^ "Kremlin Huffs, Navalny Allies Fret". RFE/RL. 2021-03-03.
  25. ^ "London's newest tourist attraction: the kleptocrat's bus tour". Global Witness. 2016.
  26. ^ "About Us". Zorge Partners.
  27. ^ "About Bird&Carrot". birdandcarrot.com.
  28. ^ "UK must oppose Russia's persecution of wife of prominent Putin critic". Henry Jackson Society. 2015-03-19. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  29. ^ "Russian dissident Vladimir Ashurkov seeks asylum in Britain". The Independent. 2014-10-06. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
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