Russian bank's new card to fund corruption fight

The businessman Alexander Lebedev announced yesterday that his bank would release a new debit card that will see one per cent of all purchases made on it donated to a leading anti-corruption organisation.

The money will go to a foundation run by Alexei Navalny, a blogger who has become a key figure in the protests against Vladimir Putin's rule in recent months.

Mr Lebedev, who heads the National Reserve Bank and is also the financial backer of The Independent, said he would write to President Putin and offer to make out the first such card in Mr Putin's name. "I would like to 'marry' this project with the official position of the authorities," said Mr Lebedev. "This would show that they support citizens who want to finance the fight against corruption themselves." He called on Mr Putin to "show everyone an example" by signing up to the scheme.

His proposal is unlikely to gain ground, however. Mr Navalny is a controversial figure who is banned from appearing on state-controlled television and feared by authorities.

His online investigations, combined with his charisma and Russian nationalist views, make him one of the few opposition politicians with the potential of gaining broad support. Authorities have rarely pursued his investigations, however.

Last month, Mr Navalny was elected to the board of Aeroflot, the Russian airline, on the initiative of Mr Lebedev, an Aeroflot shareholder.