Arkady Volozh, co-founder of Russia's most popular search engine Yandex, denounced Russian aggression against Ukraine in a statement published by the Russian independent outlet Meduza on Aug. 10.
"I categorically oppose Russia's barbaric invasion of Ukraine, where I, as well as many others, have friends and relatives," Volozh said.
"I am horrified by the fact that every day, bombs fall on Ukrainian homes. Despite the fact that since 2014 I do not live in Russia, I understand that I also bear responsibility for the acts of the country."
The co-founder of the Russian tech giant has been living in Israel with his family since 2014.
"There were many reasons why I had to remain silent. You can argue about the timeliness of my statement, but not about its essence. I am against the war," he added.
The EU sanctioned Volozh in June 2022, arguing that his company serves the interests of the Russian government and promotes pro-Kremlin media and narratives, as well as censors content critical of the regime.
In November 2022, Ukraine's Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets noted that Mariupol buildings destroyed by Russia have been hidden on Yandex's online maps while remaining visible on Google Maps.
Following the sanctions, Volozh resigned as the CEO of Yandex and from other senior positions in its subsidiaries. The company also sold its news services to a state-controlled social media platform VK.
The company has clashed with the Russian authorities as well. This year in June, a Russian court fined Yandex 2 million rubles ($20,500) for repeatedly refusing to provide Russia's security services with information about its users.
Earlier in August, Volozh presented himself as an "Israeli entrepreneur born in Kazakhstan" in his online biography, omitting his Russian ties.
Martin Fornusek
