• Andrei Melnichenko, one of Russia’s richest men, said the Ukraine war had made him an “outcast.”

• Melnichenko now lives in the United Arab Emirates, where his $300 million yacht A is moored.

• The Italian authorities confiscated his $578 million sailing yacht, A, shortly after imposing sanctions on him.

One of Russia’s richest individuals said he had become a “pariah” in the United Arab Emirates, where he fled after sanctions were imposed on him.

in Extensive interview With the Financial Times, Andriy Melnichenko decried the effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on his personal life, while also saying there were “war crimes on both sides” in the conflict.

Melnichenko what It was approved in March last year after attending a roundtable of Russian businessmen hosted by Vladimir Putin in February.

The businessman, who made his money from coal and fertiliser, earlier said he had just discovered this You approve it When he read about it in the news.

“I don’t make weapons for war. I make food for people and energy for power plants all over the world. I don’t promote war. I don’t participate in politics. What’s the point of that?” Melnichenko told FT.

Melnichenko settled $300 million Motor Yacht A in UAE last year. He has $578 million Sailing yacht A It was seized by Italian authorities shortly after sanctions were imposed on it.

for him net value This money more than doubled to about $25 billion after the invasion and subsequent sanctions on Russia that led to higher fertilizer prices, according to Forbes.

The sanctions imposed on Russian oligarchs have changed the lives of many influential billionaires who previously spent most of their time in the West.

For example, the former owner of Chelsea FC, Roman Abramovich, was forced to sell the club and now He lives in IsraelLe Monde.

According to Reuters, $95 billion was wiped off their net worth last year Guardian analysis Bloomberg Billionaires Index data.

Last week, the Financial Times reported that the tech billionaire Arkady Voloz He had appealed the sanctions imposed on him by the European Union, just days after he criticized the war for the first time.

Oleg Tinkov He managed to lift sanctions imposed on him in the United Kingdom after criticizing Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and gaining the support of British businessman Richard Branson.

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