Russian businessman has put a $1 million bounty on Vladimir Putin's head


A Russian businessman has offered a $1 million bounty for Vladimir Putin’s arrest – by posting a ‘Wanted: Dead or Alive’ poster online.

Alex Konanykhin said in posts on Facebook and LinkedIn that he would pay the money for the ‘arrest of Putin as a war criminal under international laws’

Konanykhin claimed that Putin was not the President of Russia because he ‘murdered his opponenets’.

The post included a mocked up poster which read: ‘Wanted: Dead or Alive. Vladimir Putin. For Mass Murder’.

After Facebook banned the post, Konanykhin insisted he was not asking for people to kill Putin and wanted him ‘brought to justice’.

Russian businessman Alex Konanykhin has offered a $1 million bounty for Vladimir Putin’s arrest - by posting a ‘Wanted: Dead or Alive’ poster online

Russian businessman Alex Konanykhin has offered a $1 million bounty for Vladimir Putin’s arrest – by posting a ‘Wanted: Dead or Alive’ poster online

In the post on LinkedIn, Konanykhin wrote: ‘I promise to pay $1,000,000 to the officer(s) who, complying with their constitutional duty, arrest(s) Putin as a war criminal under Russian and international laws'

In the post on LinkedIn, Konanykhin wrote: ‘I promise to pay $1,000,000 to the officer(s) who, complying with their constitutional duty, arrest(s) Putin as a war criminal under Russian and international laws’

Konanykhin, 55, is a wealthy entrepreneur who served on a Russian delegation to the US in 1992 under its then President Boris Yeltsin

Konanykhin, 55, is a wealthy entrepreneur who served on a Russian delegation to the US in 1992 under its then President Boris Yeltsin

Konanykhin’s offer came a week after Putin approved the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has led to the deaths of more than 2,000 Ukrainian civilians.

Konanykhin, 55, is a wealthy entrepreneur who served on a Russian delegation to the US in 1992 under its then President Boris Yeltsin.

But he fell out with the Kremlin after it accused him of embezzling $8m from the Russian Exchange Bank in Moscow and he was granted asylum to stay in the US in 2007.

In the post on LinkedIn, Konanykhin wrote: ‘I promise to pay $1,000,000 to the officer(s) who, complying with their constitutional duty, arrest(s) Putin as a war criminal under Russian and international laws.

‘Putin is not the Russian president as he came to power as the result of a special operation of blowing up apartment buildings in Russia, then violated the Constitution by eliminating free elections and murdering his opponents. As an ethnic Russian and a Russian citizen, I see it as my moral duty to facilitate the denazification of Russia.

‘I will continue my assistance to Ukraine in its heroic efforts to withstand the onslaught of Putin’s Orda’.

After the story was reported on – and Facebook banned the post – Konanykhin further explained himself.

He said: ‘Some reports suggest that I promised to pay for the assassination of Putin. It is NOT correct. While such an outcome would be cheered by millions of people around the world, I believe that Putin must be brought to justice’.

After the story Facebook banned the post - Konanykhin further explained himself. He said: ‘Some reports suggest that I promised to pay for the assassination of Putin. It is NOT correct. While such an outcome would be cheered by millions of people around the world, I believe that Putin must be brought to justice’

After the story Facebook banned the post – Konanykhin further explained himself. He said: ‘Some reports suggest that I promised to pay for the assassination of Putin. It is NOT correct. While such an outcome would be cheered by millions of people around the world, I believe that Putin must be brought to justice’

Konanykhin is currently part of the ‘Circle of Money’ on the TV show ‘Unicorn Hunters’ - a tech version of Shark Tank - with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. He studied at the Moscow Physics and Technical Institute before dropping out and starting a variety of businesses including real estate and banking

Konanykhin is currently part of the ‘Circle of Money’ on the TV show ‘Unicorn Hunters’ – a tech version of Shark Tank – with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. He studied at the Moscow Physics and Technical Institute before dropping out and starting a variety of businesses including real estate and banking

Konanykhin is currently part of the ‘Circle of Money’ on the TV show ‘Unicorn Hunters’ – a tech version of Shark Tank – with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.

He studied at the Moscow Physics and Technical Institute before dropping out and starting a variety of businesses including real estate and banking.

By the early 1990s he was reportedly worth $300m and ran more than 100 companies.

But in 1996, after the Russians accused him of embezzlement, he and his wife were arrested while in the US for allegedly breaching their visas.

During the trial FBI agents claimed that the Russian mafia had taken out a contract on Konanykhin’s life.

Konanykhin claimed that people at the Russian Exchange Bank threatened him, forcing him to flee to the US.

The case was settled and Konanykhin was given political asylum but his status was revoked in 2004.

He was given asylum for good in 2007 and currently runs remote working company TransparentBusiness.

In recent posts Konanykhin has called Russia a ‘fascist state’ and said it was ‘pushing the world towards nuclear annihilation’.

His offer of a $1m bounty was broadly supported on social media and a user called Go Ka wrote: ‘I’m from Poland and he should be arrested’

Miyuki Horie wrote: ‘Please be safe. Russian government will try and come get you. But thank you for all you do in an effort to stop Putin’.

In another post on Facebook, Konanykhin urged other wealthy people to add to the bounty.

He said: ‘If a thousand people chip in a million each, it’d add up to a billion’. 

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