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

Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
Russian Rules

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.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

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