The fact that billionaire Arkady Rotenberg donated funds for the construction of swimming pools became known after Prince William and Kate Middleton published a post in support of Ukraine.
Russian oligarch and friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin Arkady Rotenberg has funded the construction of a £2.2 million swimming complex at Lambrook School in Berks, attended by the children of Prince William and Kate Middleton. This was reported on February 25 by the British tabloid The Sun.
The article says that Rotenberg and his wife, Natalia, 41, donated funds to Lambrook School when their two children were her students.
“We were happy to support this school and give children a new opportunity to swim,” commented wife Rotenberg.
Swimming facility at Lambrook School
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Journalists write that the funding for the construction of the pools became known two days after the prince and princess published a Twitter post in support of Ukraine on the occasion of the anniversary of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation. On the social network, they posted a message from King Charles III on the anniversary of the Russian-Ukrainian war, in which the solidarity of the royal family with the Ukrainian people was expressed.
“I can only hope that the manifestation of solidarity from around the world can bring not only practical help, but also strength from the realization that together we stand as a united front,” the message says.
In this regard, former Tory Party leader and senior MP Ian Duncan Smith said that all charities have a duty to exercise due diligence with their donations. At the same time, Lambrook management stated that the institution has always fully complied and will continue to comply with all relevant laws and conducts strict scrutiny of any charitable donation.
Rotenberg’s connections with Putin
Journalists note that the 71-year-old Rotenberg is one of the key characters from Putin’s entourage. It is believed that they met at the age of 12 and 11 and are still friends and sometimes play hockey together. Rotenberg’s close relationship with the Russian president is evidenced by the fact that Putin put his friend at the head of a state-owned enterprise that controls 30% of the Russian alcohol market.
Vladimir Putin and Arkady Rotenberg
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However, Rotenberg was one of the first to be sanctioned in 2014 after the Russian annexation of Crimea. And in 2020, the oligarch came under new sanctions for “financial gain from Russian individuals responsible for the annexation of Crimea or the destabilization of eastern Ukraine.”
Recall that in September 2022, Finland arrested the assets of Arkady Rotenberg and his brother Boris, as well as Arkady Volozh, the founder of the Russian search company Yandex. The Finnish edition of Helsingin Sanomat reported that assets cannot be pledged or sold without the appropriate permission of the court.
