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 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. ...

Mr Mints felt he needed to leave Russia in 2015 for the UK "in the context of growing crackdown on political opposition", with Boris Nemtsov being shot dead that year. ...

Mr Mints called President Putin's actions "vile", saying the invasion was "the most tragic event in recent history, not only of Ukraine and Russia, but globally".

He also compared it to Adolf Hitler's invasion of Poland in 1939.

"This war is a result of madness and hunger for power of a single person, Vladimir Putin, supported by his inner circle," said Mr Mints, who was chairman of one of the largest pension asset managers in Russia until 2018. ...

09/08/2022 The leaders of Estonia and Finland want other EU countries to stop issuing tourist visas to Russian citizens, saying they should not be able to travel to Europe on holiday while the Kremlin carries out a devastating war in Ukraine.

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas wrote on Tuesday that “visiting Europe is a privilege, not a human right” and that it is “time to end tourism from Russia now”.

In response, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev compared Kallas to a “Nazi”.

Putin signed a decree Monday reviving the honorary title "Mother Heroine," which Soviet leader Josef Stalin first established in 1944 in the wake of massive population losses during World War II.
Russia’s “Mother Heroine” title will be bestowed on women who bear and raise 10 or more children.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday (15.08.2022) that his country is ready to distribute advanced weaponry across the globe, including in Latin America, which he says is superior to other weapons systems.

"Russia sincerely cherishes the historical strong, friendly, truly trusting ties with the states of Latin America, Asia, and Africa and is ready to offer its partners and allies the most modern types of weapons," Putin said at the opening of the Army-2022 International Military and Technical Forum outside of Moscow. "From small arms to armored vehicles and artillery, combat aircrafts and unmanned aerial vehicles."

Putin added that "almost all" of the weapons he is willing to sell across the globe have been used more than once in combat and claimed that the Russian-made products are superior to those made by his foreign rivals.