Russian oligarch Mikhail Fridman claimed in a Bloomberg interview that he didn't know how to live, three weeks after coming under sanctions. Fridman, who has a reported net worth of $10.1 billion, was sanctioned by the European Union on February 28 and by the UK on March 15.

He went on to say:-

-          The EU's sanctions are "groundless and unfair" and said he would contest them.

-           He told interviewers that he could not live on US$3,300 (£2,505) per month given to him as an allowance by the government.

Do we weep on ocean of tears for his situation?

The answer is a resounding NO.

Why not?

i.    The UK average monthly salary after tax and NI is US$2633 (£1999) so he is already getting 20% more money each month than the hard working people of our Island.

ii.    The average salary in the Ukraine is US$775 (£571), so he is getting an allowance that is 5.7 TIMES greater than the Ukranian people his countrymen are burning, blowing, shooting and shelling to death – it is immoral to give him an allowance but if we have to it should not be more than the Ukrainian average salary surely – let these oligarchs beg for food and accommodation like the refugees pouring over the various borders adjacent to their homeland. 

iii.    Fridman actually does not even deserve that pitance. Much like Roman Abramovich he gained massive wealth from corrupt Russian auctions of state assets. He bought the state owned Siberian oil company TNK for $800 million in 1997. In 2013 he sold TNK-BP back to another state owned oil company Rosneft for $56 billion, of which he and his partners pocketed………..US$28 billion!

iii.   The eagle-eyed amongst you will have seen have seen the name CHANGE from TNK to TNK-BP. Fridman bought BP’s Russian assets on the cheap by having the BP subsidiary declared bankrupt by corrupt Russian judges and civil servants that he bribed. So he has directly stolen value from BP shareholders and the millions of us in the UK whose various pensions own BP shares.

Have no Sympathy for these Oligarchs – they are the lowest form of business life.

Please help me get further signatures on this petition so we can get the seized assets of these fraudlant oligarchs turned into cash quickly to support the hard pushed Ukrainian people in this terrible time when they need all the aid that we can possibly give them.

Thanks you in advance for all your assistance so far and in the future.

Love

Neil

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