Oh, BTW, Kremlin-linked money was once invested in Facebook and Twitter, nbd
Facebook and Twitter both count Russian government-linked business among their former investors.
The revelation, confirmed in documents obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), shows that two Russian firms, both linked to the Kremlin, made "major" investments in the social media companies through a well-known tech fund.
In both cases, the Russian firms divested their holdings in the two companies shortly after each company's respective initial public offerings. The ICIJ report also notes that "there is no indication" Kremlin interests wielded any influence inside the two companies, nor did they receive any inside info as a result of their investments.
The $191 million Twitter investment in 2011 came by way of DST Global, which received the money from the Kremlin's majority-owned VTB Bank. Notable here is DST's billionaire founder, Yuri Milner, who -- along with other partners -- saw big returns when they divested shortly after Twitter's IPO.
Milner's name may be familiar to some of you regular Mashable readers. The Russian billionaire has an investment interest in space travel, and has in the past teamed up with physicist Stephen Hawking to fund an interstellar journey and a search for extra-terrestrial life.
DST Global also owned a piece of the aforementioned Facebook investment, alongside a subsidiary of the Russian energy firm Gazprom. Much like VTB Bank, the Russian government owns a majority stake in Gazprom.
The ICIJ report notes that Milner's investments in Facebook and Twitter were previously known, but the connection to Vladamir Putin's administration is new information. Both social media companies claim they "had properly reviewed Milner’s investments."
It's important to note that these investments were sold off years ago, before Russia's secretive efforts to undermine the 2016 U.S. election were in place. Still, it's a surprise now to learn that Putin had indirect business interests in two social media companies that played key roles in Russia's efforts to disrupt the election.
These revelations are especially noteworthy now, just days after Facebook and Twitter, along with Google, testified before Congress on the subject of 2016 election tampering.
The new ICIJ report is just a small piece of a large-scale investigation, dubbed the "Paradise Papers." The new investigative effort explores offshore investments on the global stage, following the international journalism network's look at global corruption in 2016's "Panama Papers."
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
