Thousands of Russian millionaires may be making plans to leave their country as the war with Ukraine rages, the U.K. Defense Ministry said on Friday in its daily intelligence update, signaling possible opposition or concerns among Russia\u2019s elite about the economic costs of foreign sanctions.\u00a0 In fact, 15,000 Russian millionaires are reportedly planning to leave Russia, fearing the economic hikes.<\/p>\n
The ministry notes that the potential exodus may be motivated either by people\u2019s \u201cpersonal opposition to the invasion\u201d or fears about the economic impact of western sanctions against Russia.<\/p>\n
The exit of a large number of wealthy Russians from the country may only serve to worsen its long-term economic prospects, the update noted.<\/p>\n
Also, in a surprising move, despite the Kremlin\u2019s efforts to crack down on all opposition to the war, several Russians have joined the so-called \u201cFreedom for Russia Legion\u201d which is now fighting alongside Ukrainian forces, the report adds.<\/p>\n
Those who have been critically verbal against the invasion, like banking tycoon and former billionaire Oleg Tinkov<\/a>, have reportedly faced backlash from the state, and last month, Tinkov said he was forced by the Kremlin to sell his stake in Russia\u2019s second-largest bank without any opportunity to negotiate.<\/p>\n Tinkov, who now lives in Italy, has been vocal in his opposition to what he has labeled as a \u201ccrazy war.\u201d The former billionaire suggested several members of Russia\u2019s business and government elite agreed with him in private but were too scared to speak out.<\/p>\n Russia imposes harsh laws and a 15-year jail sentence for sharing what is considered false information about the military. Most of Russia\u2019s elite have either expressed support for the war or remained silent about it.<\/p>\n Multiple Russian oligarchs and their foreign-owned assets have been targeted by Western sanctions since the start of Russia\u2019s invasion. This has led to the seizure of multimillion-dollar yachts and villas owned by oligarchs with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.<\/p>\n Earlier this month, U.S. officials formally seized a superyacht linked to Russian gold magnate and billionaire Suleiman Kerimov. Yachts owned by other Russian billionaires like Igor Sechin and mining magnate Alisher Usmanov have also been seized by European authorities. The most high profile of these seizures took place last month when Italian authorities seized a super yacht believed to be owned by Putin himself.<\/p>\n The war that has been raging since February 2022 is drastic and Russia has been raining down some of the most savage barbarous weaponry such as thermite bombs<\/a>; in fact, 115 Russian soldiers were sacked for refusing to fight in the war.<\/p>\n