The head of VTB Bank Andrei Kostin said that some of his subordinates may receive a deferment from mobilization. His words are quoted by Interfax:
“I think that in any case for the financial sector there will be certain categories of critical employees who will receive a deferment and will not be called up. I think this will be done not only in banking, but also in other industries, without which the life of the state is impossible.”
Kostin did not specify what kind of employees he was talking about and what category of exceptions they fall under. VTB refused to respond to The Insider's request by phone and offered to send a written request. At the time of writing, no response had been received.
The Insider received similar information from Rostelecom employees. On September 21, after Vladimir Putin announced an alleged partial mobilization in Russia, the Telegram bot The Insider received a photograph of a letter from the company's president, Mikhail Oseevsky, sent to its employees.
“We carefully study all the documents, look at our capabilities and analyze the limitations in order to fully answer all the questions that arise. The company will use all legal options for obtaining a deferment from mobilization for employees,” writes Oseevsky.
The state owns the majority of shares in both VTB and Rostelecom. Both Kostin and Oseevsky are under EU sanctions after the start of Russia's war against Ukraine.