Michael Fridman

The Financial Times published an article entitled “Melancholic Oligarchs of Russia”.

it says subtitle.

Despite dozens of Russian oligarchs losing their properties, stakes in Western companies, and access to foreign bank accounts, the article says, “there are no signs that sanctions are forcing them to prepare a “palace coup” against Putin. He spoke with the entourage of big bankers, senior executives and oligarchs, and the journalists concluded from these conversations:

One of the sanctioned businessmen who interviewed the editors said:

In the article, the name of Mikhail Fridman is also mentioned in connection with the conversation about the attempts of the Russian oligarchs to lift sanctions. According to Financial Times sources, the businessman called Christina Quinn, the acting US ambassador to Ukraine, in the spring and offered donations in exchange for help in lifting US sanctions. According to three insiders, the conversation was tense and loud, as a result Quinn hung up and Friedman later sent her an apology message, but received no response. The businessman himself denies this story.

The authors of the article found that “oligarchs under sanctions and outside the country regularly receive calls from the Kremlin to return home.” This was told to reporters by the two entrepreneurs and “few people who knew the situation” who received such calls.

Many businessmen interviewed by journalists are indeed considering the possibility of his return.

– says one of the heroes of the article. According to him, the sanctions “force the elites to approach the Kremlin, even if they previously preferred to distance themselves from it.”

When asked why they did not oppose the special operation, several Financial Times interlocutors immediately cited Oleg Tinkov, who has repeatedly publicly criticized the Russian Federation’s actions in Ukraine. In the spring, the businessman said that he had to sell his stake in Tinkoff Bank. On April 22, representatives of the bank announced their intention to rebrand and distance themselves on behalf of Tinkov, and on April 28, Interros from Vladimir Potanin announced the acquisition of a 35% stake in TCS Group, from the entrepreneur’s family. Tinkov believes he has sold his stock for no more than 3% of its true value.

At least 21 Russian businessmen have sued the EU in hopes of defying the sanctions. However, according to broadcast sources, most entrepreneurs do not believe that the court will take their side.

Earlier, Mikhail Fridman and Pyotr Aven told the media how difficult it was for them to live under sanctions and complained that there was no money even to the servants.