Russian oligarch criticizes "terrible" war in Ukraine

Russian oligarch Andrey Kovalev has criticized Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and its consequences for Russia.

In a video shared by Kovalev on his Telegram channel Monday, the businessman said at first he was certain that Russian troops would breach Ukraine’s defenses and capture Kyiv swiftly, within two or three weeks. He expressed surprise that this did not happen.

Kovalev pointed out Russia’s heavy losses since invading Ukraine – including the retreat of Russian troops from the positions they reached early in the war, the humiliating sinking of Russia’s Moskva warship last April, the blast on the bridge connecting annexed Crimea to the Russian mainland, and the recent alleged drone strike on the Kremlin. 

“This is not a special military operation, this is a terrible war,” Kovalev said during a live broadcast for the All-Russian Movement of Entrepreneurs. 

“The whole world is against us. One hundred and twenty-two countries voted to recognize us as an aggressor,” he added, referring to a resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly last month. The resolution, which qualified the war against Ukraine as "aggression by the Russian Federation," received 122 votes, including from China and India -- two countries that have avoided condemning Moscow's full-scale invasion.

In a separate pre-recorded video posted on his Telegram channel, Kovalev tempered his tone somewhat, suggesting Russian President Vladimir Putin should “call on the service of the sovereign entrepreneurs” to help “ensure victory in the war.”

Andrey Kovalev is a Russian real estate businessman, a public figure, and chairman of the All-Russian Movement of Entrepreneurs. According to his biography on the movement website, he previously held government positions and was a member of the Moscow City Duma. In 2012, Kovalev was included in the “List of the Kings of Russian Real Estate" by Forbes Russia with an income of $55 million.

Is criticism growing?: There is little room for dissenting voices in Russia. Putin’s tight control of Russia’s information space prevents many citizens from accessing accurate reports about the invasion of Ukraine. Those who do attempt to speak out face lengthy prison sentences, or worse.

But there are signs of growing dismay among some Russians over how the faltering invasion has played out. Kovalev’s words echo those of the famous Russian pop star Alla Pugacheva, who in September called for an end to Russian soldiers “dying for illusory aims that make our country a pariah.”

Kovalev’s criticism comes the day before Moscow’s Victory Day Parade – an event held annually on May 9 to mark the anniversary of the surrender of Nazi Germany in 1945, and used in recent years to flout Russia’s military strength