One of Russia's richest men called for the end of the war in Ukraine, saying it was a tragedy.
In a letter sent to staff at his London-headquartered private equity firm LetterOne on Friday, the billionaire said that war can never be the answer.
I was born in Western Ukraine and lived there until I was 17. Fridman wrote that his parents are Ukrainian citizens and that he has spent most of his life as a citizen of Russia. The current conflict between Ukrainian and Russian peoples is a tragedy for both of them.
Fridman said that he does not make political statements and that he is a businessman with responsibilities. War can never be the answer. The crisis will cost lives and damage two nations who have been brothers for hundreds of years.
While a solution seems frighteningly far off, I can only join those who want the bloodshed to end. I'm sure my partners agree with me.
The first Russian businessman to speak out against the conflict is Fridman, who is from the Ukraine and has a significant presence in the west.
Fridman divides his time between Moscow and London, where the Russian edition of Forbes estimates his fortune at $15.5 billion. He was ranked the UK's 11th richest man by the Sunday Times.
Roman Abramovich, a Russian billionaire, said on Saturday that he was giving stewardship of the English club to its charitable foundation.
Several prominent Russians have expressed their opposition to the war, but most of them have come from the ranks of entertainers such as the actress Liya Akhedzhakova, TV presenter Ivan Urgant, and journalists such as the Nobel Peace Prize winner Dmitry Muratov.
Most of the celebrities have avoided criticising Putin directly or blaming Russia for starting the war, instead preferring to call for a more general end to hostilities.
Alfa-Bank, Russia's largest privately held bank, is owned by Fridman and his partners.
The significance of Russia's economy was underscored on Thursday when Putin explained his rationale for starting the conflict and discussed measures to mitigate western.
Alfa-Bank is one of the country's largest lenders and Fridman is funding a memorial to the Babiy Yar massacre of Jews by Nazi Germany.
The US and EU put Alfa-Bank under sanctions that restrict its ability to raise debt financing on international markets but do not go as far as the measures used to block major state lenders such as VTB from the global financial system.
Fridman and his partners sold their stake in oil major TNK-BP to state-run giant Rosneft for $14 billion.
Holland & Barrett, one of the largest health foods retailers in Europe, was acquired by it in the summer of 2017.
John Browne, the former chief executive of BP, stepped down as chair of L1's energy unit last year.
The general environment in the UK for oligarchs had deteriorated because of the stand-off between Russia and the west, but Fridman said on a personal level.
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