In July 2016, Russian government-connected oligarch Vladimir Yakunin launched the Dialogue of Civilizations Research Institute (DOC) in Berlin. According to Deutsche Welle, there were “rumors that the Berlin center is to be the headquarters of a worldwide network of such institutions, aimed at making ‘Russia’s view of the world popular.'” Although the funding of the organization is not public, DOC denies receiving any Russian government funding. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported that Yakunin was planning to invest 25 million euros over five years, and it was suspected that several other Russian businessmen had invested in DOC. The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Vladimir Yakunin in 2014 for “involvement in the situation in Ukraine” due to his position as a high-ranking government official and as a member of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle. The U.S. Treasury Department described Yakunin as a “close confidant” of Vladimir Putin.