Russian billionaire criticizes Putin invasion of Ukraine

Boris Mints is one of a few rich Russian businesspeople to speak out against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and President Vladimir Putin.

The majority of high-profile people in the country have remained silent over the war, avoiding criticism of the Kremlin.

There is one simple explanation, according to Mr Mints: “They are all afraid.”

The Kremlin has a reputation for cracking down on outspoken critics of President Putin with the content on Russian news channels controlled. Unauthorised protests have also been banned in the country since 2014.

Mr Mints said “any person” who openly criticises Putin “has grounds to worry about personal safety”.

However, in an interview conducted over email, he told the BBC: “I have no intention to live in a bomb shelter, as Mr Putin does.”

The 64-year-old, who built his wealth through investment company O1 Group, which he founded in 2003 and then sold in 2018, said that in Russia the “usual way” to punish a business owner for their “intolerance” towards the regime was to “open a fabricated criminal case against their business”.

“Such criminal cases will affect not only the business owners themselves, but also their family and employees,” he said.

“Any business leader independent from [Putin] is seen as a threat as he or she may be capable of financing opposition or cultivating protest – as such, those people are seen as Putin’s enemies and, therefore, as enemies of the state,” he added.