- Vladimir Lisin said in a letter to steelworkers he hoped Putin could find a diplomatic resolution.
- The
steel tycoon wrote that the death of people inUkraine is a tragedy that it is "impossible to justify."
Russian oligarch Vladimir Lisin has called for a peaceful resolution to the attack on Ukraine.
Lisin, the chairman and main shareholder of one of the largest steelmakers in
An NLMK spokesperson confirmed the letter with Insider.
"I would like to begin by expressing my deepest compassion to all the victims of the armed conflict in Ukraine, the families and relatives of those who died," Lisin wrote. "Lost lives are always a huge tragedy that is impossible to justify. I am convinced that peaceful diplomatic conflict resolution is always preferable to the use of force."
Lisin is one of Russia's richest men and is the 81st richest person in the world, according to Bloomberg's Billionaire Index. The steel tycoon is currently worth about $19.1 billion in US dollars. His wealth is down over $5 billion since Russia began invading Ukraine, according to the index.
Thus far, the Russian billionaire has been able to avoid sanctions, but the UK is eyeing sanctions on his 3,000-acre 17th-century Aberuchill Castle in Scotland, according to a report from BBC.
The oligarch is one of a handful of Russian billionaires to speak out against the invasion into Ukraine. Last week, Russian billionaires Mikhail Fridman and Oleg Deripaska spoke out in protest of the attack, calling for peaceful negotiations between the two countries.
Russia's wealthiest have not been immune to the impact of sanctions from Western countries. Sanctions targeting Russia's
One day after the invasion of Ukraine, Russia's 22 richest individuals lost a combined $39 billion. Since then, Russia's currency has plummeted to historic lows and brought the nation to the brink of default.