Less than a week seems to have lasted Vladimir Putin’s support of the main oligarchs Russians. Before the successive sanctions that are being witnessed around the world, the Russian business side is beginning to question whether it is necessary to end the war with Ukraine, in some criticism still committed but led by the country’s main business stronghold, Alexei Mordashevowner of the metallurgical conglomerate Severstal and possessor of the largest fortune in Russia, as pointed out by Forbes.
When on February 24, Putin, in a televised speech throughout Russia, announced the entry of troops into Ukrainian territory, the Kremlin leader had behind him the majority of the support of the country’s oligarchs. Or at least that’s what they seemed, in a support that is already beginning to be questioned, according to El País.
The sanctions from the West on everything that sounds Russian, with a direct impact on the economy, have greatly reduced the ruble (until its value fell by almost 20%) and has left the business fabric more than touched with a long slab that will continue to weigh in the future. For that reason that change of mindor that transparency, which is now about selling from the leading Slavic fortunes.
This is the criticism of the greatest Russian oligarch
Led, moreover, by the largest in all of Russia (the 51st in the world), Alexei Mordashov has made it clear that “it is terrible that the Ukrainians and Russians die, that people suffer difficulties and that the economy is collapsing.” Majority shareholder of Severstal, one of the world’s leading energy, steel and mining conglomeratesthe tycoon has made it clear that “we have to do everything necessary to find a way out of this conflict and stop the bloodbath”.
Some statements made to the media RBK, which is also part of his fortune, in which he has made it clear that “it has nothing to do with geopolitical tensions”, so he “does not understand” the sanctions. Punishments that have diminished and will diminish his fortune more than 29,000 million dollarsaccording to Forbes.
Mordashov has companies with direct ties to Germany
And it is that together with Severstal Mordashov he also owns 30% of the German group TUIwhich has received so much damage from the pandemic and the restrictions on tourism, as well as works hand in hand with Siemens, from the company Power Machines which in 2018 already received sanctions from the United States in the midst of the conflict with Russia during the Trump era.
Thus, it is expected that in the next Forbes update his fortune will decline, in the last one he rose five places in the world ranking, and therefore the interest in stopping the conflict as soon as possible. “You have to help people to rebuild their lives,” remarked the oligarch who heads this “small” national criticism against Putin.
The memory of Khodorskovski
Along with him, other strong businessmen in the country have also slipped messages against the war, although always committed with the memory of what happened with Mikhail Khodorskovski. oil company owner Yukosthis oligarch was opposed to the Russian president, which led to a money laundering trial and the subsequent prison until 2013 when Putin decided to pardon him amid a wave of criticism.
A prime minister who has been in power in Russia since 1999 and who lives in 2022 his most controversial stage at the head of the country. Even with clear internal support, however, the oligarchy is beginning to look the other way, fearful that massive sanctions will begin to crumble an empire that has collided squarely with a war against all the established power.
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