THE Russian billionaire Michael Friedman denounced the war in Ukraine. He thus became the first Russian oligarch to oppose the conflict, a “tragedy” that he said would “ruin” the two countries.
In a letter to the employees of his investment company LetterOne, published in the Financial Times, Russian oligarch Mikhail Friedman states: “I was born in western Ukraine, where I lived until I was 17 years old. “My parents are Ukrainian citizens and they live in Lviv, the city I prefer.”
“But I also spent much of my life as a Russian citizen, building businesses and making them flourish. “I am deeply connected to the people of Russia and Ukraine and I see the current conflict as a tragedy for both of them.”
“I do not make political statements, I am a businessman with responsibilities towards my thousands of employees in Russia and Ukraine,” he added.
“I am convinced, however, that war can never be the answer. “This crisis will cost lives and destroy the two nations that have been brothers for hundreds of years,” he concludes, saying he wants to see this “bloodshed” end.
Mikhail Friedman: Who is the Russian-Ukrainian Croesus?
Born in April 1964 to a Jewish family in Lviv and a graduate of a technical university in Moscow, Michael Friedman rose to the podium of the richest people in the world after the end of the USSR, leading an empire that stretched from telecommunications and distribution.
He is one of the co-founders, in 1991, of Alfa Bank, one of the largest Russian banks.
In 2018, he was included in a list of the US Treasury Department with personalities from the economic and political world who are considered to be close to the Kremlin, without, however, imposing sanctions on him.
Forbes magazine estimates his fortune at $ 11.7 billion.
Source: News Beast
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