- Vladimir Lisin said in a letter to steelworkers he hoped Putin could find a diplomatic resolution.
- The steel tycoon wrote that "the death of people in Ukraine is a tragedy that is hard to justify."
- Lisin is the 81st richest person in the world, according to Bloomberg's Billionaire Index.
Russian oligarch Vladimir Lisin has called for a peaceful resolution to the attack on Ukraine.
Lisin, the chairman and main shareholder of one of the largest steelmakers in Russia, sent a letter along with the board of directors to his staff at Novolipetsk Steel (NLMK) saying that he was hopeful that the war could end soon and calling for Russian President Vladimir Putin to reach a diplomatic outcome, according to a report from Reuters.
NLMK did not respond to a request for comment from Insider, but Reuters said a spokesperson from the company confirmed the letter, which a worker had shared on social media.
The steel billionaire said in the letter that "the death of people in Ukraine is a tragedy that is hard to justify or explain," London newspaper City A.M. reported.
Lisin is one of Russia's richest men and is the 81st richest person in the world, according to Bloomberg's Billionaire Index. The steel tycoon is currently worth about $19.1 billion in US dollars. His wealth is down over $5 billion since Russia began invading Ukraine, according to the index.
Thus far, the Russian billionaire has been able to avoid sanctions, but the UK is eyeing sanctions on his 3,000-acre 17th-century Aberuchill Castle in Scotland, according to a report from BBC.
The oligarch is one of a handful of Russian billionaires to speak out against the invasion into Ukraine. Last week, Russian billionaires Mikhail Fridman and Oleg Deripaska spoke out in protest of the attack, calling for peaceful negotiations between the two countries.
Russia's wealthiest have not been immune to the impact of sanctions from Western countries. Sanctions targeting Russia's economy and financial systems have cut into their net worth. Meanwhile, the US, Canada, and European nations have also moved to take direct aim at the Russian oligarchs by seizing their Western assets.
One day after the invasion of Ukraine, Russia's 22 richest individuals lost a combined $39 billion. Since then, Russia's currency has plummeted to historic lows and brought the nation to the brink of default.