Bloomberg: Russian businessmen lost almost $40 billion on the first day of the “military operation” in Ukraine – Rosbalt

The richest Russian businessmen lost $39 billion on the first day of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, Bloomberg calculated.

At the same time, at the head of the list of “impoverished” billionaires was the president of LUKOIL, Vagit Alekperov, who missed by about $6.2 billion (his fortune was reduced to $13 billion), the Kommersant newspaper notes.

Recall that on the morning of February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin made an emergency appeal to the Russians and announced a special military operation in the Donbass. In his speech, he stated that “circumstances require decisive action from Russia” and stressed that “Russia will not allow Ukraine to have nuclear weapons.”

According to the Russian leader, the plans of the Russian Federation “do not include the occupation of Ukrainian territories,” however, “the Russian Federation considers it important that all the peoples of Ukraine can exercise the right of self-determination.”

Reacting to the Kremlin’s decision, US President Joe Biden, in a special statement, called Russia’s attack on Ukraine unprovoked and unjustified and promised to hold it to account.

For his part, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged Putin to “stop the soldiers” from attacking Ukraine and give peace a chance.

In response to Russia’s actions, Western countries (USA, Canada, European Union, Great Britain, Japan) announced new, tougher sanctions against the Russian Federation, including financial and economic ones.

We add that last night Putin met in the Kremlin with CEOs and owners of large businesses and explained that the military operation in Ukraine is a necessary measure. He urged to treat such actions with understanding.