August 15, 2023

"I Am Horrified"


"I Am Horrified"
Vladimir Putin and Arkady Volozh in the Moscow office of Yandex, 2017. Russian Presidential Press and Information Office, Wikimedia Commons.

Arkady Volozh, the founder and former CEO of renowned Russian tech company Yandex, recently issued a statement condemning Russia’s War on Ukraine. In it, the businessman acknowledged his own share of responsibility for the unfolding events and decried the incursion into Ukraine as a "barbaric invasion."

"I am horrified that bombs are being dropped on Ukrainian homes every day," Volozh said.

The businessman reminisced about his initial vision for Yandex, which was rooted in an aspirational, open, and progressive Russia. However, as time passed, he came to realize that his vision of a globally engaged country was not materializing.

Volozh has been living in Israel since 2014 and was involved in international Yandex projects. Since the start of the war, the entrepreneur found himself subjected to European sanctions, stepped down from all his positions at Yandex, was engaged in disagreements with Yandex’s leadership regarding the war, and saw his family trust teeter on the brink of exchanging a controlling stake in the company for the prospect of advancing select international projects.

According to The Bell, there were internal deliberations within Yandex about whether Volozh should publicly voice his concerns about the war. On the one hand, such a statement could potentially mitigate the risk of sanctions, but on the other, it could lead to nationalization of the company and retribution against its leadership.

The publication of Volozh’s anti-war statement followed a controversy surrounding his personal website, where he was presented as an "Israeli businessman born in Kazakhstan." Russia was only mentioned in relation to his first business endeavor, CompTek, a software distribution company he founded in the late 1980s. Another noteworthy development was an article by the independent Russian media Meduza, revealing that the FSB might soon gain access to data regarding the global movements of Yandex Taxi service customers, spanning countries like Finland, Israel, Armenia, and Georgia.

Volozh has become the second major Russian businessperson, after Oleg Tinkov, to unequivocally condemn Russia’s invasion. All other "players" have been far more cautious about voicing their opinions on the war. In particular, Alisher Usmanov said that he feels close to all the victims of the war in Ukraine and hopes for diplomacy; Mikhail Fridman stated that war cannot be a solution; and Oleg Deripaska, who is involved in recruiting Russian soldiers, said that it is necessary to start negotiations between the countries as soon as possible.

You Might Also Like

One Podcast to Rule Them All
  • August 12, 2023

One Podcast to Rule Them All

Economist journalist Arkady Ostrovsky has created what is easily the most compelling and valuable podcast on Russia.
Frozen Fortunes
  • June 23, 2023

Frozen Fortunes

And oligarch wants to donate funds to the victims of the war on both sides.
Facts and Figures
  • May 29, 2023

Facts and Figures

Another statistical look at the impact of Russia's War on Ukraine.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 
A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

Life Stories
September 01, 2009

Life Stories

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955