Tinkov listed the names of billionaires with an anti-war position

Many Russian billionaires, including Sergey Galitsky, founder of the Magnit network, and Andrei Melnichenko, founder of EuroChem, oppose the war in Ukraine but are afraid to speak out. Oleg Tinkov, a businessman and former owner of Tinkoff Bank, said this on Dozhda.

“I was sure many others would follow me. Because in private conversations Melnichenko, Galitsky, Abramovich’s partners and so on – they all said the same thing, but in public I spoke alone, and everyone was afraid, ”Tinkov said.

Separately, the businessman spoke about talks with Galitsky, who several times intended to publicly support Tinkov’s position, but did not dare. “Galitsky called me several times: “Oh, I’ll speak out tomorrow too, oh, the day after tomorrow I’ll speak out, I’ll say it now.” And finally I was alone. You know how everyone agreed, one jumped up and the rest stood.

Galitsky, who ranks 37th on Forbes’ list of Russian billionaires with a fortune of $3.2 billion, sold his 29% stake in Magnit, which he founded, to VTB bank for $2.45 billion and left all positions at the company in 2018. Later this share was bought Marathon Group, owned by Alexander Vinokourov, son-in-law of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. After the start of the war in Ukraine, Grupa Maraton was subject to EU sanctions. Galitsky avoided sanctions and remained the owner of 3% of Magnit. Since the beginning of the war, his fortune has decreased by $ 300 million.

“I was lonely. I don’t regret it, I just feel sorry for them. They are all cowards. Because, of course, everyone hates Putin. Of course they are against the war. But they are just afraid, I feel sorry for them, “Tinkov concluded. In the spring of 2022, he himself said that he was forced to sell his shares in the bank “for pennies” after he made a public statement about the events in Ukraine.

The indecision of the Krasnodar businessman was repeatedly criticized by Tinkov, who said before the war: “There is only one entrepreneur in Russia who is cooler than me – this is Sergei Galitsky.

In May 2022, Tinkov, in an interview with Yuri Dudyu, was outraged: “Galicki never said anything. your hero. In general, he did not say anything to anyone, and now he is silent. […] I’m on my knees: I built a park, a business from scratch, not a single bribe. But where did Sergei say? And I said, and I said a lot.”

In November 2022, he admitted in an interview with Elizaweta Osetyńska that he had lost respect for Galicki: “But he only calls me: ‘Have you seen the list of sanctions? Oh, they didn’t let me in, they didn’t let you in, what a joy.” […] I used to think that I, Galitsky and [сооснователь „Яндекса“ Аркадий] Volozh is three pillars. Well, they both farted, I had to be alone.

In private conversations, Vladimir Putin’s policy and the war in Ukraine were also criticized by billionaire Farkhad Akhmedov, whose fortune is estimated by Forbes at $ 1.7 billion. In March 2023, a recording of Akhmedov’s conversation with music producer Iosif Prigozhin appeared online. Especially, person depicted as Akhmedovsays that the Russian authorities “f ***** and (wasted) us, our children, their future, their destiny”, calls Putin “Satan” and adds that “unfortunately, it’s a long time”.