Alexei Navalnys top aide Leonid Volkov resigned from the board of the jailed Kremlin critics Anti-Corruption Foundation on Thursday, as the political fallout over a letter in defense of oligarch Mikhail Fridman continued to rock Russias fragmented political opposition.
The letter, which was signed by a group of Russian opposition politicians and activists and addressed to the European Commission, called on the EU to raise its sanctions on Russian business person Mikhail Fridman and other popular investors in his Alfa Group consortium, according to a copy of the letter shared by Alexei Venediktov, the previous editor-in-chief of the Ekho Moskvy radio station, on Wednesday.Within hours of its publication, Volkov, whose name and signature appeared in the copy of the letter published by Venediktov, had revealed his resignation.
While Volkov denied signing the letter, saying his signature had been photoshopped, he did admit to authoring a similar letter written in defense of Fridman that was sent out to the European Commission in October, which he admitted he had actually signed on behalf of Navalnys organization.
Volkov called the October letter a huge political error and confessed to signing it without consulting his associates in the organization.
I sensed that the situation at that minute ...
was important, and that by setting a precedent, a chain reaction of public condemnation of the war and disunity in the Russian elites could be activated.
I was wrong, Volkov wrote on Telegram.
The most recent letter-- dated Feb.
7, 2023, and addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and foreign affairs primary Josep Borrell-- labels sanctions versus Fridman and his partners Petr Aven, German Khan, and Alexei Kuzmichev unreasonable and asked the EU embrace a more nuanced approach to approving private Russian businesses over the war in Ukraine.
Our understanding is that Alfa Group companies are not included in the circle of companies close to the Russian authorities, President Putin, or anyone else from the highest tiers of power in the Russian Federation, the letter checked out.
In Russian company circles, Alfa [Group] has actually always been regarded as the most pro-Western business structure.
Following the imposition of sanctions, Mr.
Fridman and his partners have actually totally withdrawn from managing assets based in Russia, the letter included.
The letter likewise emphasized Fridmans close connection to the late Russian opposition political leader Boris Nemtsov, his Ukrainian heritage, and long-running history of charitable and organization financial investments into the Ukrainian economy, in addition to financial backing for Ukrainian war refugees.
For practically 30 years, Mr.
Fridman and his partners ...
have been among the biggest private investors in the Ukrainian economy, the document stated.
Signatories to the letter, including independent journalist Leonid Parfyonov, television Rain founder Natalya Sindeyeva and business person Yevgeny Chichvarkin, said the European Commissions choice to lift the sanctions on Alfa Group would establish a constructive inspiration for all Russian business owners to follow a similar line of conduct.
Fridman, who according to Forbes ranks among Russias 10 most affluent billionaires, has actually been residing in Britain because 2015 and now invests mainly in the United States and EU markets, according to the letter.
The Alfa Group Consortium is a global financial investment group that was co-founded by Fridman and Anatoly Potik in 1989 and currently owns stakes in Alfa Bank, Russias largest food retail operator X5 Retail Group and Turkeys largest mobile operator Turkcell.Earlier this week, Navalnys team determined Venediktov among the crucial beneficiaries of a corruption scheme spearheaded by Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin in a relocation that is believed to have caused considerable damage to the journalists credibility, though he has rejected any misbehavior.