Ruslan is the Founder and CIO of Blackbeard Asset Management, an alternative investment firm specializing in high-yield and distressed credit across emerging and frontier markets. He launched the firm in 2022 to capitalize on deep inefficiencies in underfollowed credit markets, drawing on over a decade of experience managing special situations and distressed debt strategies.

Prior to founding Blackbeard, Ruslan co-led the Distressed Credit & Special Situations (DCSS) portfolio at ICU, one of Ukraine’s leading asset managers. From 2020 to 2022, he built the investment team, institutionalized the strategy, and led global fundraising efforts. The portfolio focused on public high-yield and distressed credit across EM and frontier markets – including Europe, MENA, LatAm, and APAC – and generated an average annual return of 25%.

Ruslan’s asset management track record dates back to 2015, when he began acquiring and restructuring distressed corporate loans at ICU in response to the regional fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Between 2015 and 2019, he originated and executed more than US$2.0 billion in private credit transactions, leading over 30 successful restructurings and delivering 20%+ IRRs on a per-asset basis.

Before transitioning into asset management, Ruslan built a strong foundation in investment banking. He worked at VTB Capital in Ukraine and Russia (2010–2014), where he executed landmark capital markets transactions including the US$607 million Yandex SPO (NASDAQ), US$750 million Eurobond issue for Metinvest, and the EUR60 million Milkiland IPO (WSE). Earlier in his career, he held roles in equity research and corporate finance at Foyil Securities and Concorde Capital, covering large-cap corporates in the energy, agriculture, and industrial sectors.

Education