- Many tech CEOs have offered little or no public response to the crisis — but some have spoken out.
- Apple's Tim Cook tweeted that he was "deeply concerned with the situation in Ukraine."
- Virgin founder Richard Branson called Putin "callous." He said he'd spoken with Ukraine's leader.
The eyes of the world are on Europe.
Russian forces continue to attack Ukraine after President Vladimir Putin announced the commencement of "special military operations" on February 24. Fighting has reached Ukraine's capital, Kyiv.
In response, world leaders have sought to ramp up sanctions against Russia and businesses are scrambling to protect their staff and operations on the ground.
Condemnation of the invasion has been widespread, including among some high-profile business leaders. Insider rounded up their responses.
Vitalik Buterin called the invasion a "crime"
The Russian born co-founder of Ethereum blockchain was one of the first high-profile business figures to publicly condemn the attack. Buterin has heavily criticized Russian threats over the last few weeks.
Tweeting in Russian shortly after Putin's announcement on Thursday, he said that he was "very upset by Putin's decision to abandon the possibility of a peaceful solution."
"This is a crime against the Ukrainian and Russian people. I want to wish everyone security, although I know that there will be no security," Buterin wrote.
"Glory to Ukraine," he added.
He followed it up shortly afterwards by writing: "Reminder: Ethereum is neutral, but I am not."
Richard Branson called Putin "callous" and calculating
Virgin Group's founder has posted several tweets and a 592-word blog post since the start of the invasion. He's been heavily critical of Russia's president and calls for "the strongest of responses" in full sanctions.
—Richard Branson (@richardbranson) February 24, 2022
Ukrainians and Russians "are paying the price for the ambitions of an authoritarian ruler who is callous and calculating about the damage he is inflicting on Ukraine, but also seems woefully unaware of the impact of his actions on Russia and the Russian people," Branson wrote.
"He and his inner circle should know that this invasion will not solidify Russian control over Ukraine. It may well weaken Putin's hold on power," he added.
Branson said he had spoken with Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy "just two days ago" about the situation in the country, who had raised the idea of a peace concert and a hope to build bridges and bring people together.
Virgin did not immediately respond to Insider's approach for comment made outside of normal working hours.
Tim Cook is deeply concerned about the situation in Ukraine
Apple CEO Tim Cook tweeted that he was "deeply concerned with the situation in Ukraine."
Cook wrote: "We're doing all we can for our teams there and will be supporting local humanitarian efforts. I am thinking of the people who are right now in harm's way and joining all those calling for peace."
Apple did not immediately respond to Insider's approach for comment made outside of normal working hours.
Some are worried about the prospect of finding a solution to the conflict
Fortune's Alan Murray attended lunch with 20 other CEOs. He reported some of their responses in his CEO Daily newsletter.
Moderna chairman and Flagship Pioneering CEO Noubar Afeyan told Murray he is worried about Putin's longer term plans.
"What worries me a lot this morning is that I think this is a much longer-term plan. Putin is having a midlife crisis. This is a plan to go into the history books as a world order leader," he said per Fortune.
Laura Newinski, chief operating officer of KPMG said it was unclear how "we" are going to be able to come together politically, Murray reports.
"It's easy to start a war, harder to end one. I don't think (Putin) has a good plan for ending the war, and that worries me," said Bob Mcdonald, the former CEO of consumer goods giant Procter and Gamble, per the newsletter.
The heads of other tech firms have largely remained silent or offered a muted response
Nick Clegg, Meta's head of global affairs, did post a statement to Twitter, however. He described the situation in Ukraine as "devastating" and announced in a statement that the company has established a Special Operations Center to combat hate speech and violent content.
Matt Brittin, Google's EMEA president, told staff that the company was watching the escalation of violence with concern, and asked staff to "shelter in place" in a memo obtained by Insider's Hugh Langley.
He stopped short of referring to Russia directly in the communique.