Russian Billionaire Slams War In Ukraine, Urges West To “Stop This Massacre”

Russian billionaire Oleg Tinkov has blasted Russia’s war in Ukraine, calling on the West to do more to “stop this massacre.”

Tinkov, who was among the 65 individuals and entities sanctioned by the UK on March 24 for “supporting Russia’s illegal invasion,” made the comments in an Instagram post Tuesday.

The Russian tycoon, who founded Tinkoff Bank in 2006, wrote that “90% of Russians” opposed the conflict.

The letter “Z” became a sign of popular support for the war among some Russians after Russian military vehicles were seen marked with the symbol just ahead of the invasion.

Switching to English at the end of his post, Tinkov called on the “collective” West to “give Mr. Putin a clear exit to save his face and stop this massacre.”

“Please be more rational and humanitarian,” he added.

Other Russian business leaders call for peace: In March, Russian oil firm Lukoil called for an end to the conflict in Ukraine.

Oligarchs Mikhail Fridman and Oleg Deripaska also spoke out against the conflict in late February following Russia’s invasion.

Fridman, who was born in western Ukraine, said in a letter to staff that he wanted the “bloodshed to end.” Deripaska wrote in a post on Telegram: “Peace is very important! Negotiations need to start as soon as possible!”

Earlier this month, the chairman of the Russian metals firm Rusal called for an impartial investigation into the killing of civilians in Bucha.