Vladimir Putin's vodka oligarch flees Russia as war rages in Ukraine

Vasily Anisimov recently changed his citizenship from Russia to Croatian and is said to have moved to Switzerland five years after returning to live in Russia

Russian billionaire Vasily Anisimov (

Image: Moscow-Post/east2west news)

Vladimir Putin's vodka oligarch has fled Russia as war rages in Ukraine, it has been claimed.

Billionaire Vasily Anisimov owned the license for the vodka brand Putinka, named after the dictator.

Now company records in London show that he recently changed his citizenship from Russian to Croatian.

And he would have moved to Switzerland five years after returning to live in his native country.

Putin scolded wealthy Russians who fled abroad after leading his country into a costly war against Ukraine.

Anisimov, 71, who has not spoken about his decision, is one of the few tycoons close to Putin who has not been sanctioned in the West, despite Ukraine putting him on its list.

Russian billionaire and close ally of Putin Anisimov, 71, obtained a Croatian passport (

Picture:

Social networks/NEWS EAST2WEST)

The £1.3 billion vodka tycoon is also said to be very close to Arkady Rotenberg, billionaire and close confidant of Putin.

Anisimov was a business partner of Kremlin friend Alisher Usmanov, a former shareholder of Arsenal FC in London, who, like Rotenberg, was sanctioned.

He was also close to Putin through martial arts and was president of the Russian Judo Federation for 12 years before resigning abruptly in October for family reasons.

The tycoon's other main business interests are mining, chemicals, metals, oil and gas, and real estate.

Yet only last month the Russian president paid tribute to the former boss of the nuclear power plant - even though he had previously taken foreign citizenship.