Sanctioned Russian Billionaire Tinkov Slams ‘Insane’ Ukraine War

Russian billionaire Oleg Tinkov, the sanctioned founder of digital lender TCS Group Holding Plc, condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine in an Instagram tirade, a rare case of a notable businessman publicly opposing Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion.

"I can't think of a single person who has benefited from this mad conflict." "Innocent civilians and soldiers are being killed," Tinkov wrote in Russian on Tuesday.

Tinkov added, in English, to the "collective West," "Please provide Mr. Putin a clear departure to save his face and halt this massacre."

The screed was one of a handful of anti-war comments made by major Russian businessmen, many of whom have been sanctioned by the West for their support for Putin.

Oleg Deripaska, the aluminium billionaire sanctioned since 2018, has publicly appealed for peace.

Tinkov, who is worth $3.5 billion according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, was sanctioned by the United Kingdom last month for his role in the conflict against Ukraine.

Following the announcement of the measures, his bank's co-chief executive officers resigned from the board of directors and relocated from Moscow to the United Arab Emirates.

Tinkov said in colourful language that Russian generals awoke from their hangovers to discover that the army, like the rest of Russia, was riddled with nepotism, servility, and flunkies. He predicted that 90 percent of Russians were opposed to the war.