Self-exiled entrepreneur Yevgeny Chichvarkin said Friday that helium is temporarily stepping distant from Russia’s opposition, criticizing activists for “fighting each other” alternatively of uniting against the Kremlin.
“I’ve decided to retreat from the Russian absorption for now, until my colleagues and friends refocus connected warring the bloody, monstrous, disgraceful Putin regime,” Chichvarkin said successful a video posted connected his YouTube channel.
Chichvarkin, 50, co-founded the mobile telephone retailer Yevroset successful the precocious 1990s, increasing it into a large brand. He fled to Britain successful 2008, saying helium feared for his beingness if jailed successful Russia, wherever helium faced extortion and kidnapping charges helium claimed were politically motivated.
Those charges were dropped successful 2011.
Chichvarkin’s announcement connected Friday comes amid an ongoing quality betwixt salient absorption blogger Maxim Katz and Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) — the latest ungraded to stone Russia’s fragmented governmental opposition.
Last month, Katz released a report accusing FBK of “whitewashing” the reputations of fugitive bankers Alexander Zheleznyak and Sergei Leontiev. FBK responded by calling Katz’s study “lies, manipulations and blatant omissions of inconvenient documents.”
Chichvarkin said helium does not judge determination are immoderate figures successful the absorption who “reflect the spirit, aspirations, oregon desires of the Russian people,” which helium said “can lone beryllium understood by those who person stayed successful Russia.”
In what appeared to beryllium a tongue-in-cheek endorsement, Chichvarkin named businessman and Instagram influencer Nikolai Vasilenko arsenic a imaginable unifying figure. Vasilenko, 55, gained popularity this autumn for posting affirmative affirmations portion sporting a well-groomed beard and luxury decorator brands.
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