As of: 02/28/2022 4:55 p.m
Russian oligarchs have now criticized the government in Moscow for the invasion of Ukraine with unusual clarity and called for an end to the fighting. Probably also because the sanctions of the West are also directed against them.
In view of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, several oligarchs have distanced themselves from Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin. In an open letter to Putin that has now been published, media mogul Evgeny Lebedev wrote: “As a citizen of Russia, I ask you to end the situation in which Russians are killing their Ukrainian brothers and sisters.” The billionaires Oleg Deripaska and Oleg Tinkov had previously expressed clear criticism of the Russian war in Ukraine.
Lebedev, who also has British citizenship and is a member of the British House of Lords, published the open letter in the London Evening Standard newspaper, which he owns. Europe is “on the brink of another world war” and the world is facing a “possible nuclear catastrophe,” he warned. Putin must use the current negotiations with Kiev officials to “end this terrible war in Ukraine”. “As a British citizen, I call on you to protect Europe from this war,” Lebedev wrote. “As a Russian patriot, I ask you to prevent the needless deaths of more young Russian soldiers. As a citizen of the world, I call on you to protect the world from annihilation.”
“End of state capitalism” demanded
Russian billionaire Oleg Tinkov also denounced the death of “innocent people” in Ukraine as “unthinkable and unacceptable”. “States should spend money on treating people and on cancer research, not on wars,” he wrote on Instagram. Billionaire Oleg Deripaska called for an “end to state capitalism” in Russia in view of the economic sanctions imposed on Moscow. “This is a real crisis and we need real crisis managers,” said the founder of the aluminum company Rusal on Telegram.
In Russia, the business elite rarely criticize the government. However, since the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, several Russian oligarchs have opposed President Putin’s actions. Russian oligarch Mikhail Fridman also declared on Sunday: “War can never be the answer.” In a letter to the employees of his investment company Letterone, the native Ukrainian called for an end to the “bloodshed,” according to the company.
Abramovich as mediator?
One of Russia’s richest men, oligarch Roman Abramovich, has been asked for help by the Ukrainian side, according to a spokeswoman. He was contacted “to help find a solution and is now trying to help,” spokeswoman Rola Brentlin said.
The EU countries, the USA, Canada, Japan and other western allies have decided on tough sanctions against Russia because of the attack on Ukraine. These include an exclusion of important Russian banks from the international payment system SWIFT, the blocking of transactions by the Russian central bank to support the Russian currency and export bans on high-tech goods. The punitive measures are also aimed at oligarchs and their assets.