The elite: Russian oligarchs who have (and haven’t) spoken out over the war

Here’s a look at some of the oligarchs close to the Kremlin who have commented on the war, and those who have stayed quiet.

Oleg Deripaska

Oleg Deripaska, a close ally of Putin who made his fortune in the aluminum business, was slapped with sanctions on March 10 by the UK government, which noted Deripaska’s estimated wealth of £2 billion and stakes in En+ Group, a major energy company and owner of one of the world’s major aluminum producers.

Shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Deripaska said on the Telegram messaging app: “Peace is very important! Negotiations need to start as soon as possible!”

As the ruble collapsed and Russia’s stock market failed to open for trading, Deripaska said he wanted “clarifications and intelligible comments on the economic policy for the next three months,” adding that the central bank’s decision to dramatically hike interest rates and force companies to sell foreign currency was the “first test of who will actually be paying for this banquet.”

Deripaska was previously sanctioned by the US in 2018 in response to Russian inference in the 2016 election. The US investigated him for money laundering and accused him of “threatening the lives of business rivals, illegally wiretapping a government official, and taking part in extortion and racketeering,” according to the Treasury Department, which added, “Deripaska has said that he does not separate himself from the Russian state.”

Mikhail Fridman

Mikhail Fridman, chairman of conglomerate Alfa Group, has a net worth of $11.4 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaire’s Index. He was recently sanctioned by the European Union, which said he “has managed to cultivate strong ties to the administration of Vladimir Putin, and has been referred to as a top Russian financier and enabler of Putin’s inner circle.”

Before being sanctioned, Fridman, who was born in western Ukraine, wrote in a letter to staff days after the invasion that he wanted the “bloodshed to end.”

“My parents are Ukrainian citizens and live in Lviv, my favorite city. But I have also spent much of my life as a citizen of Russia, building and growing businesses. I am deeply attached to Ukrainian and Russian peoples and see the current conflict as a tragedy for them both,” wrote Fridman.

“This crisis will cost lives and damage two nations who have been brothers for hundreds of years. While a solution seems frighteningly far off, I can only join those whose fervent desire is for the bloodshed to end,” he added in the letter, which was provided by his office. The Financial Times was first to report the letter.

Friedman called the violence a “tragedy,” adding “war can never be the answer” — but he stopped short of criticizing Putin directly.

“If I make any political statement that is unacceptable in Russia it will have very clear implications for the company, for our customers, for our creditors, for our stakeholders,” Fridman said.

Roman Abramovich

Another oligarch who expressed public dismay over the crisis but failed to criticize Russia is Roman Abramovich, owner of Premier League club Chelsea, who has moved to sell the team amid his own sanctions. Abramovich “is one of the few oligarchs from the 1990s to maintain prominence under Putin,” according to the UK, yet he has always denied such a link.

Prior to being sanctioned by the UK on March 10, Abramovich said the net proceeds of the club’s sale would be used to establish a charitable foundation “for the benefit of all victims of the war in Ukraine.”

The European Union sanctioned Abramovich last week, citing his “long and close ties to Vladimir Putin” and remarking that his “privileged access” to the president helped him “maintain his considerable wealth.”

Notable oligarchs have stayed quiet

Many Putin allies and members of his inner circle have not commented publicly on the war, potentially underscoring Fridman’s remarks that questioning the Russian leader comes with consequences. (slight tweaks for flow)

The sanctions from Western nations against Russian government officials and leaders continue to mount, including those against: (OR: Others facing Western sanctions include:)

All of whom have remained publicly silent on the war. CNN has reached out to each individual for comment.

Russian elite speak out

Comments from other high-profile figures, however, demonstrate that disapproval of the war could run deep among the nation’s elite.

Evgeny Lebedev — the son of Alexander Lebedev, who describes himself as an ex-oligarch — wrote a public statement to Putin in the UK paper Evening Standard, which he owns. “As a Russian citizen I plead with you to stop Russians killing their Ukrainian brothers and sisters,” Lebedev said.

“As a British citizen I ask you to save Europe from war. As a Russian patriot I plead that you prevent any more young Russian soldiers from dying needlessly. As a citizen of the world I ask you to save the world from annihilation,” he added.

Vladimir Potanin, the country’s richest businessman and president of metals giant Norilsk Nickel, implored Russia not to take the assets of Western companies fleeing the country.

“Firstly, it would take us back a hundred years, to 1917, and the consequences of such a step — global distrust of Russia on the part of investors — we would experience for many decades,” he said in a message posted on Norilsk Nickel’s Telegram account last week.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was sanctioned by the US government on March 3 for being the “lead propagandist” of the Russian Federation. On Friday, Peskov’s wife and two of his adult children — including daughter Elizaveta Peskova — were also sanctioned by the US.

Peskova, who has more than 180,000 followers on Instagram, shared an anti-war message on her verified account the day after the invasion commenced, posting the hashtag #нетвойне, which means “no to war.”

A couple of hours later the message was deleted.