"Madness": Russian oligarch Deripaska criticized the war against Ukraine due to enormous costs.

Oleg Deripaska, one of the most influential Russian businessmen, sharply criticized the war in Ukraine and called for an immediate ceasefire.

"If you want to stop the war, the first thing you must do is ceasefire," Deripaska said. He emphasized the need for an "immediate truce without preconditions".

The businessman sharply criticized Russia's military spending, calling the war in Ukraine "madness." According to US estimates, Russia has already spent at least 211 billion dollars on the war.

When asked about his current relationship with Putin, who the publication called "one of the favorite oligarchs," Deripaska replied: "They [the Kremlin] don't touch me, we don't touch politics."

It is worth noting that this is not the first Time Deripaska has spoken out against the war. Earlier in an interview with the Financial Times, he said that sanctions would not stop the war and that Russian resources are needed by everyone, so another solution must be sought.

Oleg Deripaska has been under US sanctions since 2018 due to his ties with Putin. In 2022, sanctions against him were also imposed by the UK due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.