Published: Less than 30 min ago
Billionaire Boris Mints is one of the few Russian businessmen who dares to go against Vladimir Putin.
And he does not hold back in his criticism of the president and the invasion of Ukraine.
– The war is a result of madness and the hunger for power of one person, he tells BBC.
The invasion of Ukraine has been ongoing since February, and since then few high-ranking Russians have expressed any opposition to the war. Boris Mints, however, goes against the grain and instead compares the invasion to Hitler and Germany’s entry into Poland in 1939.
– It is the most tragic thing that has happened in modern history, not only around Ukraine and Russia, but globally, he says.
Boris Mints is the former owner of O1 Group and has also worked for former Russian President Boris Yeltsin. Although he is one of the few people who expresses his criticism of the Kremlin, he believes that he is not alone in his views.
– They are all afraid, he says.
Fabricated evidence
He believes that all people who openly criticize Putin have reason to be concerned about their personal safety and says that these people are often accused of crimes with fabricated evidence.
However, he says that he himself, who lives in the UK, will not take any extra security measures.
– I have no intention of living in a bunker, as Mr. Putin does, he says.