Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska has faced fierce criticism in Russia for his surprisingly vocal disapproval of the war with Ukraine. In an interview with the Japanese newspaper Nikkei Asia, Deripaska called for an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire.” “If we want to end the war, we must first stop shooting,” he said this week on the sidelines of an economic conference in Japan, which he attended as Russia’s official representative. He described the brutal conflict as “crazy.”
Oligarch Deripaska: Western sanctions won’t end war in Ukraine
Oligarch Oleg Deripaska said Russia had resisted Western sanctions imposed over its invasion of Ukraine and warned that Western hopes of using the 19th century instrument to end the war or trigger a change of power in Moscow were doomed to failure.
Russian philosopher and nationalist Alexander Dugin, considered one of the most important ideologists of this war, harshly attacked the businessman. “This is a stab in the back of our armed forces and support for the terrorists from the Ukrainian army who invaded the Kursk region,” Dugin wrote on Telegram. “Until now, Deripaska’s position on special military operations was unclear. Now he has made his position clear. He is on the other side,” he added.
Billionaire Oleg Deripaska is not afraid to criticize the war in Ukraine
Oleg Deripaska is one of Russia’s wealthiest and most influential businessmen and is on the sanctions list due to his closeness to President Vladimir Putin. Unlike other celebrities and oligarchs who have remained in the country, Deripaska has repeatedly expressed criticism of Russian policy, although not as clearly as in the aforementioned interview. After launching Russia’s major attack on Ukraine, referred to in Russia as a “special operation,” Deripaska spoke in 2022 about the tragedy for both nations and called for peace. He also criticized the move of Western companies from Russia as damaging to the economy.
Oleg Deripaska became rich by privatizing aluminum and mining companies after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Forbes magazine estimates his fortune at $2.8 billion.
