Putin's friend was prevented from buying an airport in Germany: the Russian oligarch's deal fell through

Russian oligarch Viktor Kharitonin, who is called Putin's friend, failed to buy Frankfurt-Hahn airport in Germany. Kharitonin's interest in the asset was harshly criticised in German society, and eventually the local company Triwo AG became the new owner of the airport.

This was reported by Bild. The air harbour went bankrupt in 2021 and was put up for sale.

In early February 2023, it became known that NR Holding, a company associated with Kharitonin, was buying Frankfurt-Hahn Airport for €20 million. The news drew criticism from both German society and politicians.

The deal was subsequently cancelled. The airport was bought by Triwo AG, which is owned by Peter Adrian, chairman of the German Union of Chambers of Commerce and Industry. The final amount of the deal was not disclosed.

In 2003, after Putin came to power, Viktor Kharitonov became one of the founders of the Pharmstandard holding company. Over the next few years, Kharitonov's business grew, and the oligarch became a pharmaceutical magnate. Today, Pharmstandard is one of the leading suppliers of medicines to Russia, including under government contracts.

In 2021, Kharitonin was the largest producer of the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, and its cancer clinics opened across Russia. In addition, Russian media reported that Kharitonin was profiting from the coronavirus. In the midst of the pandemic, Russian doctors were forced to prescribe Pharmstandard drugs to treat covid, even though the effectiveness of these drugs has not been proven at all.

Charitonin is under US sanctions. However, the EU has not imposed any restrictions on it.

As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, a Swiss court convicted four bankers for helping Putin's "wallet" Sergei Roldugin. The court ruled that the bankers failed to conduct sufficient checks when opening accounts for Roldugin. As a result, the musician transferred millions of francs from Russia to Swiss bank accounts. The money could have belonged to Putin personally.

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