Recently, it has come to light that the sons of two Russian oligarchs, close to Vladimir Putin, are working at the American investment fund 8VC. These individuals are Jack Moshkovich, the son of Russian agricultural magnate Vadim Moshkovich, and Denis Aven, the son of Alfa Group chairman Petr Aven. According to 8VC’s founder, Joe Lonsdale, the two sons of the Russian oligarchs are close friends, and it was Jack Moshkovich who introduced Denis Aven to the company.

Let’s take a closer look at what the Russian parents of these “golden children” do and why this could pose a threat to U.S. national security.

Vadim Moshkovich is a leading Russian entrepreneur in the country’s agricultural sector.

Russian oligarch Vadim Moshkovich

He is the owner of companies such as RusAgro and AssistAgro. According to research conducted by Ukrainian Cyber Resistance and Frontelligence Insight, it is known that his companies, RusAgro and AssistAgro, are directly involved in the production of military drones, which are used to kill civilians in Ukraine, under the guise of manufacturing agricultural drones. Moshkovich is also linked to the company “Albatros,” which has been sanctioned by many countries for producing reconnaissance drones for the Russian military.

Also read: AlabugaLeaks. Part 3: Albatross, war, NVIDIA, Sony and Saito

It’s worth noting that all of the aforementioned companies, along with their owner, have been subjected to American sanctions. However, this has not prevented them from continuing their drone production and attempting to influence American companies to obtain certain privileges.

The scheme from the research by Ukrainian Cyber Resistance and Frontelligence Insight details the connection between Moshkovich’s company and the military UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) manufacturer, Albatros

Denis Aven’s father, Petr Aven, is a Russian oligarch who serves as the principal shareholder of Alfa Group. He is one of the oligarchs closely connected to Vladimir Putin, meeting with him regularly. In 2018, under the direction of the Moscow government, Aven and his business partner, Mikhail Fridman (one of Russia’s wealthiest oligarchs, a close friend of Putin, and a shareholder of Alfa Group), undertook an unofficial mission to Washington to deliver a message from the Moscow government regarding U.S. sanctions and Russia’s counter-sanctions. Through this, he gained financial benefits from collaborating with individuals responsible for the occupation of Crimea and the destabilization of Ukraine.

Russian oligarch Petr Aven

After February 24, 2022, Petr Aven was among the 36 Russian businessmen invited to meet with Putin to discuss the impact of Western sanctions on the Russian economy. This indicates his close relationship with the Kremlin leader and his interest in profiting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

One of Alfa Group’s subsidiaries, AlfaStrakhovanie, provides insurance for vehicles used by the Russian National Guard (Rosgvardia), whose units are employed by Russia to maintain the occupation regime in Ukraine. It also insures vehicles for Putin’s bodyguards. Additionally, X5 Retail Group, another subsidiary of Alfa Group, has established a partnership with JSC “Voentorg,” a company sanctioned for providing catering and laundry services, as well as manufacturing military uniforms for the Russian army, including the production of T-shirts featuring the Russian propaganda symbol Z.

Thus, Vadim Moshkovich and Petr Aven are actively involved in Russia’s economic sector, are close to Vladimir Putin, and actively sponsor Russian military aggression against Ukraine. Both have been sanctioned by the EU and the U.S. due to their ties with the Kremlin and Vladimir Putin.

Regarding the American investment fund 8VC, it invests in various sectors of the U.S. economy, with major investments in defense technologies, comparable to those of large firms like Andreessen Horowitz and General Catalyst. The company’s investment portfolio includes leading U.S. defense companies such as Palantir and Anduril (specializing in autonomous systems and data analysis), Saronic (manufacturing unmanned boats), and the startup Epirus (anti-drone systems). As evident, the fund has significant investments in leading American defense companies.

The head of the American investment fund 8VC, Joe Lonsdale

It is also known that the company is one of the largest investors in Elon Musk’s social network X, which, following a U.S. federal court order, was required to disclose the list of investors who helped him acquire this network, formerly known as Twitter, for $44 billion in October 2022.

The employment of the sons of Russian oligarchs at 8VC has drawn significant attention from the American media. This issue became particularly pressing after the U.S. National Counterintelligence and Security Center issued a bulletin warning Silicon Valley companies about the potential threat posed by foreign countries using investment firms to gain access to classified data and technologies, which could endanger U.S. national security.

Denis Aven was hired by the company in 2022. He left Russia at the age of 12, later attending a boarding school in the United Kingdom, followed by Yale University, and then earning a master’s degree in business and management from Harvard in 2022. His so-called friend, Jack Moshkovich, had been working at the company since 2018 as an analyst, having previously graduated from Stanford and completed several summer analytical assignments at McKinsey’s Moscow office.

In response, the head of the company, Joe Lonsdale, posted on his X account, stating that 8VC operates within legal frameworks and the law, and that the company did not take money from the parents of Aven and Moshkovich. He also mentioned in his posts that Moshkovich’s father, who is under sanctions, is a successful businessman, and he finds it hard to believe that Moshkovich Sr. is working with Iranian drones for Russia. Additionally, he referred to Moshkovich’s son as a “superstar” and Aven’s son as “talented.” In his view, it is not right to isolate intelligent, wealthy Russians, despite the fact that these two are the sons of Russian oligarchs close to Vladimir Putin, who is involved in sponsoring military aggression and supplying military goods to the Russian army.

Therefore, it appears that the American investment fund 8VC, one of the largest investors in U.S. defense technologies and the social network X, employs the children of sanctioned Russian oligarchs who are close to Putin and involved in Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. It raises questions as to why American law enforcement agencies have not yet investigated this incident and the company, given that, by ignoring the warnings of the U.S. National Counterintelligence and Security Center, the company jeopardizes national security and allows foreigners (Russians) access to advanced defense technologies. Additionally, it potentially creates opportunities to influence a global audience through social network X.

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