In a statement sent to the Reuters news agency on Monday (14), Russian oligarch Andrei Melnichenko called the events in Ukraine “tragic” and called for “urgent peace”.
Melnichenko, who owns Russia’s biggest fertilizer and coal companies, is a close ally of President Vladimir Putin and has attended Kremlin meetings since the invasion of Ukraine began, according to the European Union.
The oligarch, one of the 12 richest men in Russia, has already suffered several sanctions from the West and had his yacht seized by Italian police last Friday (12). The ship, called “SY A”, is worth 530 million euros (about R$3 billion) and was stored in the port of Trieste, in northwest Italy.
For Melnichenko, the world could face a global food crisis if the war in Ukraine is not stopped. With the increase in the price of fertilizers, many farmers are no longer able to buy nutrients for planting, according to the oligarch.
“Agriculture and food are among the victims of this crisis,” Melnichenko told Reuters, adding that the war “has already raised the price of important fertilizers for many farmers.” “This will lead to even greater food inflation in Europe and food shortages in the poorest countries,” he concluded.
In addition to Melnichenko, other Russian oligarchs have already come forward to call for an end to the invasion, such as Mikhail Fridman, Pyotr Aven and Oleg Deripaska.
Source: CNN Brasil
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