+

Cookies on the Business Insider India website

Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.

Close
HomeQuizzoneWhatsappShare Flash Reads
 

The children of some of Russia's wealthiest oligarchs are rebelling against Putin on Instagram and calling for peace

Mar 7, 2022, 22:00 IST
Insider
Among the loudest voices is socialite and TV host Ksenia Sobchak, who has been regularly sharing posts condemning the attacks with her 9.3 million Instagram followers.Valery Sharifulin\TASS via Getty Images
  • Some children of rich Russians are protesting the invasion of Ukraine on social media.
  • They include Maria Yumasheva, the daughter of Valentin Yumashev, a trusted advisor to Putin.
Advertisement

Rich Russian kids are known for showing off their lavish lifestyles on Instagram, but some have been using the platform to protest Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

Among the loudest voices is Ksenia Sobchak, a socialite and TV host who has regularly shared posts condemning the attacks with her 9.3 million Instagram followers.

Sobchak, who's been called "Russia's Paris Hilton," is the daughter of Anatoly Sobchak, the first democratically elected mayor of St. Petersburg. Despite her family's close ties to the president, she became an unlikely challenger to Putin in the 2018 presidential race.

In a post last week, Sobchak urged peace, writing that "global geopolitical interests cannot be more important than the simple, peaceful life of millions of people."

Maria Yumasheva, the 19-year-old granddaughter of former Russian President Boris Yeltsin, expressed support for Ukraine on the first day of the attacks.

Advertisement

Yumasheva is the daughter of the billionaire Valentin Yumashev, a trusted advisor to Putin who has been credited with helping the president come to power, the BBC reported.

On her Instagram account, she posted a photo of the Ukrainian flag alongside a broken-heart emoji and the caption "No to war." She has disabled comments on the post.

Her Russian footballer fiancé, Fedor Smolov, 32, posted a black square on his Instagram account, also with the caption "No to war!!!" alongside emojis of a broken heart and the Ukrainian flag. Comments on his post were also disabled.

Others condemned the invasion via Instagram Stories.

Sofia Abramovich, the 27-year-old daughter of the tycoon Roman Abramovich, posted an Instagram Story in late February that said, "The biggest and most successful lie of Kremlin's propaganda is that most Russians stand with Putin."

Advertisement

The image included the text "Russia wants a war with Ukraine" with the word "Russia" crossed out and replaced with "Putin."

The post has expired, but a screenshot was shared on Twitter.

With an estimated net worth of about $13.5 billion, Roman Abramovich is one of Russia's richest men. But he's reportedly been scrambling to offload his assets as the country's oligarchs are hit by sanctions.

Russian celebrities have also condemned the invasion on their Instagram accounts.

Irina Shayk, a supermodel with 17.7 million followers, posted a picture of a peace sign and said she would donate to Unicef and Red Cross Ukraine.

Advertisement

Natalia Vodianova, a supermodel with 3.3 million followers, wrote in a post: "As a mother my heart goes out to all mothers who are suffering the consequences of recent events in Ukraine and everyone effected by this conflict.

"Women will be the ones carrying most burden of this conflict and I want them to know that they are not alone," she continued.

You are subscribed to notifications!
Looks like you've blocked notifications!
Next Article