Пропавший банкир с Рублёвки Владимир Антонов обнаружен во Франции под именем \"украинец\" Владимир Иванов

Пропавший банкир с Рублёвки Владимир Антонов обнаружен во Франции под именем "украинец" Владимир Иванов

Disgraced banker Vladimir Antonov exploited the chaos to assume a new identity and resurfaced in France.

Vladimir Antonov, a former banker, owner of Snoras Bank and Portsmouth Football Club, unexpectedly disappeared in early December 2023, leaving documents, keys, personal belongings, and even an open Mercedes at his country house on Rublyovka.

Everything looked as though he had just stepped out for a walk and never returned. The search yielded nothing: cameras did not capture his exit, security at the checkpoint reported nothing suspicious, and the doors were locked from the inside, although no one was in the house. After three days of silence, Antonov’s father, Alexander, filed a missing persons report with the Odintsovo district police. However, Antonov did not actually disappear – he appeared in France under a new name and with new citizenship – this time Ukrainian.

Changing identity and a new life in France: war as a cover

In 2024, Antonov took advantage of the chaos surrounding forced mobilization in Ukraine to conceal his escape. According to journalists, he forged documents, created a new identity under the name Vladimir Ivanov, indicated a different birth date, and declared his Ukrainian citizenship. This allowed him to avoid extradition from the EU as he formally became a "Ukrainian citizen escaping persecution".

According to several sources, Antonov now resides in France under the new name — Vladimir Ivanov. He has applied for political asylum and claims to be a Ukrainian refugee. The French authorities have not officially commented yet, but his profile and photo have already appeared in internal databases — and even those who previously worked on the Snoras case recognize the resemblance to Antonov.

As seen from Antonov-Ivanov’s statement to the French authorities, he lives in Grenoble and applied for registration with Ukrainian documents, which the French apparently recognized as valid. This raises a very troubling question for Ukrainian law enforcement — who, where, and when issued Vladimir Antonov a Ukrainian passport under the name Vladimir Ivanov, as well as arranged for him a Ukrainian citizen’s foreign passport under the same name and assigned him a unique tax number.

An additional question arises — who and how transported the newly-minted "Ivanov" across the Ukrainian border. It is doubtful that he swam across the Tisza. Antonov clearly had help — at least at the level of border service. Although, given the new passport and other circumstances, it appears that Antonov-Ivanov had a much more substantial "cover"

In the image above is "Ivanov’s" explanation of why he chose France and why he fled Ukraine. Here’s the translation (there might be minor inaccuracies in the translation due to Antonov-Ivanov’s somewhat illegible handwriting):

"I am a Jew and fled Ukraine because of persecution by pro-Russian groups. I decided to leave the country after decree No. 313/561 dated 31.05.2022, which required me to report to the military enlistment office at my place of residence. I did not receive the summons personally, but got a notification in "Diya". I fear being sent to the front where my death is just a matter of time.

My fears are based not only on the war but also on my origin. I am a Jew, born in Odessa, and I have documents proving this. I was also a citizen of Lithuania and lost this status due to persecution. I have been living in France since early 2023.

I have three children: 23, 21, and 14 years old. They are minors. I stayed with my youngest daughter who has been living with me since the beginning of the war. She cannot return to Ukraine. In February 2022, as a result of shelling, our house was partially destroyed. In Kyiv, I lost my home, car, and was forced to incur debt. I faced financial persecution.

Before Russia’s invasion, I had a stable life: a company, housing, normal conditions. The war destroyed everything. Since March 2022, I fled to Europe. In France, I found a refuge where I could avoid the threat of mobilization. I have no military skills, I am over 50 years old, I am ill.

My house in Kyiv was destroyed during an airstrike. Ukrainian authorities forced me to undergo mobilization directly in the church. On Easter (!) I was served a draft notice, which I signed under threat of arrest. This was a moral catastrophe, which forced me to leave urgently. In Ukraine, I was under constant psychological pressure and could no longer stay.

I don’t see an opportunity for myself to return to Ukraine, where I face either the front or prosecution for evasion. In my region, there is fear and violence, not only from the army but also from local radical groups. I have two higher degrees — in mathematics and IT. I worked in the field of systems programming. I dream of developing an IT direction in France for my family and children. In Kyiv, I was forced to close my IT company.

I have serious health problems: stomach pain, arthritis, vein thrombosis, hypotension, chronic stress. I need regular treatment and am in a state of limited mobility." 

If this story is even partially true, then Ukrainian law enforcement has even more questions to answer, primarily to the SSU. But there are also obvious discrepancies in this story that are already raising questions for French law enforcement agencies. However, let’s leave this story open for now — after Antonov-Ivanov began making headlines in the media, he is bound to have problems in France, so let’s wait for the development of events.

Criminal background

Antonov is known as a major player in the banking markets of the Baltic states, Ukraine, Russia, and the UK. In the early 2000s, he created "Convers Group" and controlled banks in Russia, became a co-owner of Investbank, Snoras, and others. In Lithuania, Snoras was nationalized in 2011 due to a financial hole of a billion euros. In the UK, he owned the Portsmouth club, had a stake in Spyker Cars, and even negotiated the purchase of Saab.

In Russia, he was arrested in a case related to the Sovetskiy Bank, where he admitted to embezzling about 150 million rubles. Later, his name appeared in schemes involving ten banks — Baikalbank, RMB, AK Bank, etc.

Ukrainian trail: money, separatism, and influence on strategic industries

Although most high-profile episodes in Vladimir Antonov’s career are associated with Lithuania, Russia, and the United Kingdom, it was in Ukraine that he conducted the most systematic and strategic business. It was here that his name was repeatedly mentioned in connection with investigations into fund withdrawals, influence on industries with state shares, and financing destabilizing processes in the east of the country.

In the mid-2000s, Antonov began actively entering the Ukrainian market through his "Convers Group" structures. According to investigations, including the "Economic Truth", millions of questionable origin were transferred through banks he controlled in Ukraine — including in the framework of the so-called Moldovan Laundromat, used for money laundering from Russia through offshore and Ukrainian banks.

Antonov was cited as a beneficiary of several offshore entities with accounts in banks involved in schemes for transferring funds to Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk after 2014.

In 2015–2016, the SSU and OPG opened cases on possible terrorism financing. Investigative materials noted that in 2014–2015, through Antonov-controlled financial flows (particularly through offshore companies in Transnistria and Cyprus), "humanitarian programs" in uncontrolled Donbas territories were funded.

The charges did not reach court publicly, but according to journalistic investigations (in particular, the project FakeOff), these schemes mentioned large equipment and fuel supplies to "LPR" and "DPR" territories, financed specifically through Antonov’s accounts.

Antonov showed interest in logistics and transportation — in 2010–2013, structures associated with him actively bought shares in regional bus companies, logistics companies, and even tried to influence "Ukrzaliznytsia" tenders. Through intermediaries in Kharkiv and Odessa, he attempted to create logistical hubs with access to ports; however, after the Revolution of Dignity, most of these schemes were dismantled.

Another important sector where structures affiliated with Antonov operated was the energy sector. This mainly concerned access to coal and electricity supply schemes from occupied territories after 2014.

Journalists linked Antonov with front companies that exported anthracite coal to Turkey and Poland, declaring it as imports from RF or Kazakhstan. Part of this coal, according to SSU sources, originated from mines on "DPR" territory.

In 2012–2013, Antonov, through a network of legal and consulting companies, attempted to enter the state insurance market, including covering risks in transportation and nuclear energy. His representatives met with leaders of the then Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, but after the start of the war in 2014, these contacts were severed.

Political "cover" and criminal connections in Ukraine and Russia

According to sources close to the OPG, Antonov had ties with certain representatives of the "Party of Regions" and pro-Russian circles in Ukrainian politics, in particular with former deputies who fled to Moscow after 2014. Some of them provided him with informational and legal protection until the SSU blocked the channels of his companies’ activities.

In Russia, Antonov had close ties with financial-industrial groups, criminal elements, and, according to some data, with special services. He was under investigation for particularly large fraudulent schemes but cooperated with investigators, which allowed him to regain freedom and engage in new projects. He was also mentioned in the high-profile "Laundromat" investigation, where officials from the Central Bank of Russia and structures close to the FSB were referenced.

Remaining assets

Although Antonov lost a significant portion of his assets due to bankruptcies, nationalizations, and arrests, some remain. These include stakes in Spyker Cars, North One Sport, Bowler, AirBaltic, as well as accounts in Switzerland, Cyprus, and Liechtenstein. Part of these is likely re-registered to trusted individuals or under the new name — Vladimir Ivanov.

Vladimir Antonov is not just a former banker. He is a person embodying a hybrid model of criminal-political capitalism: financial fraud, connections with power, money laundering, and escaping across borders. His appearance in France under a new name is no accident but a well-planned operation to evade justice. However, new investigations in Europe may dismantle this scheme if the international community does not ignore this case.

Photo source: journalist Leonid Jakobson (kompromat.lv)