Who is Konstantin Sokolov, who will head the TRIPP+ development fund?

After Konstantin Sokolov, a Russian-born, US-based businessman, was appointed director of the TRIPP+ Development Fund, opinions spread in the Armenian media that this was a Russian-American deal to coordinate or jointly implement the TRIPP project in southern Armenia.

Factor TV studied Sokolov's biography to determine whether there is any basis to claim that Sokolov may be promoting Russian interests during the implementation of this project.

Pictured: Konstantin Sokolov, right, at the Munich Security Conference

Sokolov's Russian and American connections Konstantin Sokolov was born in St. Petersburg in 1975 to a family of Russian Jews. It was in St. Petersburg that he received higher education - bachelor's and master's degrees in mathematics and computer science. This practically ends Sokolov's ties with Russia. In his biography on his website, Sokolov stated that in 1997 he moved to the United States and started working in the IT sector. After that, his career continued as an investor and founder of companies. In the United States, Sokolov received an Executive MBA from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago. And years after graduating from the university, in 2025, he made a large donation of $ 100 million to the university to support the program he studied at. Sokolov is the founder (2006) and president of the investment company IJS Investments. The company is engaged in investments in infrastructure, technology and financial companies. According to his biography on his website, the businessman has also “led restructuring projects for sovereign wealth funds and central banks, assisted in listing companies on major stock exchanges around the world, and acted as a strategic advisor to governments and large companies.” Sokolov’s name became more well-known in 2025, when he donated to the construction of a ballroom at the White House, initiated by US President Donald Trump. Sokolov was one of 37 donors who raised a total of more than $350 million. Other donors included Google, Meta (Facebook), and other large companies and businessmen. The businessman is also a supporter of the current US president. During Donald Trump’s second presidency, he donated about $12 million to the initiatives of the US Republican Party. And in 2008, he made a much more modest donation of $3,600 to the team of the 44th US President Barack Obama. Sokolov is also a member of the board of trustees of the Munich Security Conference Foundation, and chair of the American Friends group at that foundation.

There is no information about American or European sanctions against the businessman, which suggests that he has no connections or business interests with the Russian elite. Sokolov’s Armenian connections The businessman, who was born in Russia and works in the United States, also has connections in Armenia. He is a major shareholder in Viva Armenia, one of the largest mobile and telecommunications operators in Armenia. Sokolov owns 20 percent of Viva Armenia through Fedilco Group Limited. The sale process of Viva Armenia was carried out in 2023-2024. Previously, Viva was owned by the Russian company MTS, and in 2023 MTS applied to the Armenian regulatory authorities for a sale permit, but did not receive this permission. Later, MTS submitted a new bid, which was approved, and 100 percent of the company's shares were sold to Fedilco Group Limited, a company registered in Cyprus, whose beneficiaries are Sokolov and Zhe Zhang (a Chinese citizen). This transaction caused some confusion, since after buying Viva, the Cyprus-registered company transferred 20 percent of Viva's shares to the Armenian government without explanation. In July 2025, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan participated in an event dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the founding of Viva Armenia, and was greeted by Sokolov himself.

In the picture, the event for the 20th anniversary of the founding of Viva Armenia, Konstantin Sokolov is sitting to the left of Pashinyan.

In the photo: Konstantin Sokolov's note on Viva Armenia's stake in the company's declaration In August last year, it became known that the Armenian government was starting the process of selling its stake in Viva Armenia. However, the declaration submitted by the company in July this year shows that the Armenian government continues to be a 20 percent shareholder of the company. Sokolov, according to information from Azattyun, has recently had another major deal in Armenia. Last week, it became known that Sokolov is buying a 49.95 percent stake in the Teghut company, which had been transferred to VTB Bank due to the debts of the previous owner. Sokolov avoided a direct deal with the Russian bank, which is why the stake was first transferred to a third party, from which it was later transferred to Sokolov's company registered in Texas. In the declaration published by the Teghut company in February, that 49.95 percent stake still belonged to the bank. The company has not yet submitted a more recent declaration. TRIPP+ Foundation and Sokolov’s Role On July 14, the British newspaper The Guardian was the first to report that Sokolov had been appointed director of the American TRIPP+ investment fund. According to the media outlet, the fund will allocate about $200 million in American funds for the implementation of the Middle Corridor. In international terminology, the Middle Corridor is a set of roads, railways and other communications that pass through the middle of the Eurasian continent. In a broad sense, the TRIPP road complex to be created in southern Armenia fits into it. The goal of the Middle Corridor is to organize trade in the Eurasian space in east-west and opposite directions, avoiding the territories of Russia and Iran. The TRIPP+ Foundation, which will be headed by Sokolov, will implement investment projects not only in Armenia within the framework of the TRIPP project, but also in the wider region, including the countries of Central Asia. The projects will be infrastructure investments, grants, etc. The Guardian newspaper asked its source, a former USAID employee, whether Sokolov’s involvement could bring him personal benefits. “The question is whether he has the ability to personally benefit from investment decisions. The answer must be no,” the British media outlet’s interlocutor said. Thus, although there is not much information about Sokolov, what is available suggests that he is so involved in the American economic and political environment that it is very difficult to connect him with the Russian side. Sokolov has more economic interests in Armenia than in Russia.

Garik Harutyunyan

Factor.am