Arkady Voloi, the founder and former CEO of Russia’s largest internet company, has criticized President Vladimir Putin’s “barbaric” invasion of Ukraine, becoming one of the most prominent Russian businessmen to criticize what Russia still euphemistically calls its “special military operation.” “, reports CNN.

“I’ve been asked a lot of questions over the past year, and a lot of them came up this week in particular. I would like to explain my position,” Voloy said in a statement to the press.

“I am categorically against Russia’s barbaric invasion of Ukraine, where I, like many others, have friends and relatives. I am appalled that bombs are falling into the homes of Ukrainians every day,” said Volodzh, who describes himself as “an Israeli technology entrepreneur, computer scientist, investor and philanthropist born in Kazakhstan.”

“Despite the fact that I no longer live in Russia since 2014, I understand that I also bear a share of responsibility for the country’s actions,” he added. “There were many reasons why I had to remain silent. You can debate the appropriateness of my statement, but not its substance. I am against war.”

In June 2022, Voloi resigned as CEO of Yandex, which also runs Russia’s most popular search engine, after falling under European Union sanctions over Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

“Volodz is a leading businessman involved in economic sectors that provide a significant source of income for the government of the Russian Federation, which is responsible for the annexation of Crimea and the destabilization of Ukraine,” the EU said.

“Yandex is also responsible for promoting media and state narratives in its search results, as well as downgrading and removing content critical of the Kremlin, such as content related to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” the EU said at the time. (complete on CNN)