Mikhail FridmanMADRID, Mar 28Businessman Mikhail Fridman, who was previously sanctioned, told the Spanish newspaper País that he does not have enough money to even go to a restaurant. «The UK authorities should give me a certain amount of money so that I can take a taxi and buy food «But it will be a very limited amount in relation to the cost of living in London. I don't know if this is enough to live a normal life without a surplus. I can't even invite me to a restaurant. I have to eat at home and I'm practically under house arrest,» said Friedman, who was born in Lviv and has been living in London since 2015. After the sanctions, he left all his posts, including the board of directors of LetterOne.Aven complained about living conditions under the sanctions, Friedman admitted that he did not know whether he would be able to maintain the house he bought and renovated here, whether he would continue to live in London or be forced to leave, which he would not want «for many reasons.» “I have been living in London for eight years, I have invested billions of dollars in the UK and other European countries, and the answer to this was that everything was confiscated from me and I was kicked out,” the businessman said. He said that sanctions against Russian entrepreneurs in these circumstances counterproductive. «Populism is very attractive, but from a practical point of view, the sanctions are counterproductive, because they push these entrepreneurs to return to Russia, because they cannot (more — ed.) go anywhere,» Friedman said. «The West will not do well if it forces many brilliant and interesting entrepreneurs to leave Russia instead of integrating them,» the businessman added. />Fridman and Aven, who were sanctioned, will leave the board of directors of Alfa-Bank. He called the opinion that Russian oligarchs can influence the President of the Russian Federation “idiocy”. However, according to Friedman, entrepreneurs could «try to get their point across.» According to him, «those who are under sanctions will have to return to Russia», «where they continue to work, because they are energetic, bright, talented people, they will establish businesses and create jobs.» Friedman called on Western countries when imposing sanctions to be «smarter», because «punishing Russians just for the fact of being Russian increases confrontation and the number of supporters of anti-Western policies in Russia.» A number of Western countries have introduced new sanctions against the Russian Federation because of Ukraine. A number of companies announced their withdrawal from the Russian market and the closure of production facilities in the Russian Federation. As previously stated in the Kremlin, Western sanctions are very serious, Russia was preparing for them in advance, they require analysis and coordination of departments in order to develop response measures that meet the interests of the Russian Federation.
Friedman, who was sanctioned, said that he did not even have money for a cleaner. Later, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the policy of containment and weakening of Russia is a long-term strategy for the West, and the sanctions dealt a serious blow to the entire global economy. According to him, the main goal of the West is to worsen the lives of millions of people. Putin also said that the United States and the European Union had effectively defaulted on their obligations to Russia, freezing its foreign exchange reserves. He added that the current events draw a line under the global dominance of the West both in politics and in the economy. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that Western companies that refuse to work with Russia did so under enormous pressure, but Russia will solve all problems with the economy that the West creates for it. Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview with RIA Novosti that the withdrawal of foreign companies from the Russian market is an absolutely political story, they do it under pressure from their authorities. Foreign companies that have suspended work in the Russian Federation are being persuaded not to introduce external management and not to nationalize them, because they want to return, they will do it, but the question is when and with what losses, Medvedev added.
The rich also pay: what Russian billionaires have lost
