Russia’s most powerful banker has broken ranks and called on Vladimir Putin to end his invasion of Ukraine as soon as possible.
German Gref, who heads up the state-controlled Sberbank, said that Russians are deeply concerned by the worsening economic conditions of the country, which are being exacerbated by the war and Ukraine’s strikes on oil refineries.
The top financial official said in an interview with state TV: ‘I think what’s worrying every one of us is one and the same thing.
‘I don’t think there’s a single person who isn’t concerned about anything other than a rapid end of hostilities, that’s clear.’
Gref’s unprecedented public plea came as a poll showed 81% of Russians want the war to end, the highest since the conflict began, according to the Kyiv-based Russian Institute for Conflict Study and Analysis.
The banker has already made clear the war, with its high military spending, is leading to havoc in the economy which is suffering from petrol queues, falling wages, redundancies, soaring prices and cripplingly high interest rates.
He warned Putin: ‘We have already overcooled the economy.’
The plea to Putin also comes as Ukraine’s defence minister warned in a letter that the nation has a window of opportunity of between six and nine months on the battlefield to take advantage over Russia.
Ukraine has been aggressively taking the fight to Russia, last night striking an oil facility in the city of Ufa, which sits more than 800 miles behind the front lines.
