Mikhail Fridman is just one of several Russian oligarchs who have been affected by the sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United Kingdom as a measure of pressure so that Russia stops bombing Ukraine.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Fridman revealed that his “ordeal” began last 28 February when he received the first sanction from the European Union and continued on 15 of March when the United Kingdom did the same.
Although barely three weeks have passed since the sanctions, Mikhail Fridman was honest with the aforementioned media outlet and indicated that he doesn’t know how to live after being sanctioned and explained his reasons.
According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Mikhail Fridman has a net worth of $10.100 million, but since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began his wealth has been weakened to the point of being reduced to $4 billion.
“I don’t know how to live. I really do not know. I really don’t know,” the co-founder of the London-based investment firm LetterOne and former member of the board of directors of the Russian banking company Alfa-Bank told Bloomberg.
Fridman said that the sanctions also they mean that his last working bank card in the UK, his place of residence, was frozen.
“My problems are nothing compared to their problems (Ukrainians trapped by the conflict)”, he said while reminding that he has an allowance of $330 a month and has to apply for a license to spend money before the British government decides how reasonable the request is.
In the same interview he was somewhat surprised to acknowledge that at one point he thought he had a good relationship with the West because of his continual trips to Washington and because of his Alfa- Bank created especially for American, British and German citizens in 2004.
“C we sincerely laughed that we were good friends of the Western world that we could not be punished, “he said.