A former executive at Russia’s Gazprombank said Thursday he left Moscow for Ukraine to engage in the invasion of Ukrainian territory and that he believes President Vladimir Putin is leading Russia to failure.
Igor Volobuev, 50, has a Russian passport and was until recently Vice President of Gazprombank.
Due to his Ukrainian origin and family, he moved to Kyiv.
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This kind of exit is unusual: he was an executive in a company important to the Russian establishment. Gazprombank’s executive director is Alexei Miller, a close ally of Putin.
The case illustrates the links Ukrainian families have with Russia.
Volobuev was born in Okhtyrka, a town in a region invaded by Russian troops in late February.
2 of 2 Igor Volobuev on April 28, 2022 in Kyiv — Photo: Gleb Garanich/Reuters
Igor Volobuev in Kyiv on April 28, 2022 — Photo: Gleb Garanich/Reuters
“I came here to defend my motherland because the war started in places like my hometown of Okhtyrka it was one of the first cities to be bombed,” he said.
The former executive arrived in Ukraine on March 2nd. At the border he said he wanted to join the Territorial Defense Forces.
“They said no, but maybe they could find a way. I hope so. They explained that there are already enough of their own people who have military experience.”
Volobuev did not describe how he left Russia and reached Kyiv.
He called the war a sin and categorically criticized Putin. “Russia has no future, I think the country will split, Putin has already brought about a catastrophe. I’m not afraid,” he said.
If he was looking for security, he would not have gone to Kyiv, he would have continued to live in Russia. “I understood that I was going to war,” he said.
Russia describes its actions in Ukraine as a special military operation.
Volobuev says he opposed the annexation of Crimea in 2014 but has prioritized family welfare in recent years. However, when Russia invaded Ukraine in February, it had concerns. “I never thought that Russia is my motherland, this is Ukraine,” he said.