Sizeable price offer deprives Russian oligarch of chance to buy German airport

Russian oligarch Viktor Kharitonin, regarded in Germany as a friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has failed to acquire Germany's Frankfurt-Hahn Airport, Bild reports.

According to the newspaper, the airport, which was a US airbase but later started to receive civilian flights, had been intended to be bought by NR Holding, a Kharitonin-related firm.

However, Triwo AG company based in the city of Trier offered a higher price, and the parties came to an agreement.

The publication notes that Kharitonin's fortune is estimated at $1.4 billion and he owns Pharmstandard, one of the main producers of the Sputnik V anti-coronavirus vaccine.

"He is referred to in the German media as a friend of Putin with good connections in the Kremlin. Kharitonin is under US sanctions, but is not on the EU sanctions lists," Bild adds.