Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has had its share of critics, but few of them have actually been from the nation’s elite wealthy or within Russia itself.
Virtually none of them have gone as far as Oleg Tinkov did in an Instagram post on April 19.
While President Vladimir Putin’s plan to seize at least a portion of Ukraine has been occasionally criticized by the nation’s ruling class as bad for Russia’s business community and economy, very few vastly wealthy oligarchs have take the kind of stand Tinkov has.
In the post, which you can read (in Russian) here, he said that the country’s army has been particularly hard hit by the disconnect between nationalism and active warfare.
“The (Russian) generals, waking up with a hangover, realized that they had a sh*t army,” Tinkov wrote.
“And how could the army be good if everything else in the country is sh*t and mired in nepotism, sycophancy and servility?”
Oligarch Begs For Peace Without Disrespecting Putin
He says in the post that 90% of Russians are against the war, which has brought inconvenient sanctions to the nation, and called on Western leaders to find a way to end the conflict that does not embarrass Putin.
“Dear ‘collective West’ please give Mr. Putin a clear exit to save his face and stop this massacre,” Tinkov said in English.
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“Please be more rational and humanitarian.”
Tinkov also adds that most of the people in power or Kremlin-adjacent have been on board with Putin’s “Z” campaign, which draws that letter around Russia to show support for the war.
But he called those who do “morons” who are out of touch with reality.
“Kremlin officials are shocked that neither they or their children will be off to the Mediterranean in the summer. Businessmen are trying to save the rest of their property,” he said.
Tinkov made most of his money after the fall of the Soviet Union, investing in mining operations and wholesale electronics, as well as guns, a variety of retail options, beer, a cycling team, credit cards and even a record label.
He currently owns just over a third of TCS Group Holding but is no longer the chairman of Tinkoff Bank.
He is currently under sanctions in the United Kingdom. Tinkov was estimated to be worth around $8.2 billion in 2014, but as of 2022, that amount has reportedly dwindled to less than $1 billion.
“I don’t see a single beneficiary of this crazy war! Innocent people and soldiers are dying,” Tinkov said in the post.
