Most high-profile figures in the country have remained silent about the war, avoiding criticism from the Kremlin.
According to Mr. Mints, there's a simple answer: "They're all scared."
The Kremlin is known for controlling the content of Russian news channels and stifling critics of President Putin’s rhetoric.
Mints said anyone who openly criticizes Putin has reason to be concerned about personal safety.
But in an email interview, he told the BBC: "Like Mr Putin, there is no intention of living in a bomb shelter."
The 64-year-old, who built his fortune through the investment firm O1 Group, which he founded in 2003 and then sold in 2018, said it was a “common way” in Russia to punish a business owner for his “intolerance”. In the mode. "Initiating a criminal case against their actions".
“Such criminal cases will not only affect the business owners themselves, but also their families and employees.
He said. more.
"Essential Prison".
Mints has first-hand experience when he first publicly spoke out against President Putin’s policies in 2014 after Ukraine’s annexation of Crimea.
The shooting of Boris Nemtsov that year prompted Mintz to leave Russia in 2015 for the UK.
A secret strike team linked to Putin’s rivals was killed.
Fear or Imprisonment: Truth Telling in Russia.
Navalny: Russia is a close but vocal critic of Putin.
Mr. Nemtsov was a bitter enemy of President Putin. His assassination in 2015 was the highest-profile political assassination since Putin came to power. Authorities deny any connection to him.
Two years later, Mr. Mintz’s former investment firm, O1 Group, was “openly hostile to the Bank of Russia” and launched legal proceedings in several different jurisdictions, he said.
"When things like this start happening, it's a clear sign that one should leave the country immediately," he added.
This remains the subject of an ongoing Kremlin lawsuit.
Mints claim the “boldest move” for the wealthy who don’t like Putin is to “go into silent exile”. For nearly a decade, he was under charges of fraud and tax evasion, which he says were politically motivated.
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