Russian copper magnate Igor Altushkin, whose wealth Forbes estimates at $3.4 billion, is the principal financial backer of the Urals Battalion, a volunteer group fighting with the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine, according to multiple sources who spoke with The Moscow Times. “He provides equipment and other things. This is his battalion. I received [this] information from their commander,” a source in the Defense Ministry told The Moscow Times. Heavy losses and the need to provision and man long frontlines mean Russia has faced an acute manpower shortage for much of its war in Ukraine, obliging the Kremlin to rely on a mix of contract, mobilized and volunteer soldiers, as well as mercenaries. Altushkin’s involvement in the Urals Battalion was confirmed to The Moscow Times by Viktor Yarkov, the head of the Special Forces Veterans Fund, an organization based in the city of Yekaterinburg that has been sending volunteer fighters to Ukraine since 2014. When asked who finances the military outfit, Yarkov, a former special forces soldier, said: “Altushkin, [his] copper company, as well as others.” The veteran declined to give the names of other sponsors. He did not respond to further calls.
via moscow times: Russian Copper Billionaire Bankrolling Military Unit Fighting in Ukraine