Yandex founder Volozh hires security after Putin's remarks
Arkady Volozh, founder of Yandex, revealed in an interview with Bloomberg for the first time that after Vladimir Putin wished him "good health," he decided to hire security.
Bloomberg reports that this incident occurred after Volozh publicly condemned Russia's aggression against Ukraine.
- Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is barbaric, and I am categorically against it. I am horrified about the fate of people in Ukraine – many of them my personal friends and relatives – whose houses are being bombed every day - Volozh said.
Putin spoke similarly about Prigozhin
A month later, in September 2023, during the Eastern Economic Forum, Vladimir Putin commented on Volozh's words, describing them as "forced."
- He lives in Israel. I assume that to a certain extent, in order to live there and to enjoy good relations with the government, he is forced to make certain statements. He sat and kept quiet for a long time, and then decided to say something. Well, God bless him, may he live well there. It doesn't particularly affect us - Putin stated, adding that Volozh is a talented person.
Bloomberg notes that Putin spoke in a similar tone about Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner Group, who died in a plane crash in the Tver region.
"They allowed us to leave with some savings"
Volozh admitted that Putin's words caused him discomfort, but he tries not to dwell on it too much. In the interview, he also revealed details about the sale of Yandex's Russian segment.
- I didn't lose everything. They allowed us to leave with some savings. It was an exit, just like in Egypt - he noted.
The founder of Yandex also explained why it took him a year and a half to publicly condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He emphasized that he first had to ensure the relocation of about a thousand company employees who wanted to leave Russia.
Sanctions against Arkady Volozh, related to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, were imposed in June 2023. In August of the same year, Volozh publicly spoke out against the war and removed all mentions of Russia from his website. He then approached the European Union, requesting the lifting of the sanctions. In February 2024, Yandex announced a business restructuring, which resulted in Volozh taking over the management of the Dutch company Nebius Group NV (formerly Yandex N.V.).
In March 2024, the European Union removed Volozh from the sanctions list. Along with him, sanctions were lifted on 11 more people, including former AFK "Sistema" Vice President Sergey Mndoyants.
