Arkady Dvorkovich
(Picture: Getty Images for Kaspersky Lab)A former Russian deputy prime minister has criticised the war in the Ukraine.
"Wars are the worst things one might face in life ..., including this war," Arkady Dvorkovich told Mother Jones in an interview. "My thoughts are with Ukrainian civilians."
Mr Dvorkovich, who served as a deputy prime minister from 2012 to 2018, following a stint as the top Kremlin economic adviser to then-President Dmitry Medvedev, said he remains living in Russia where he is “safe with my family and friends”.
"Wars do not just kill priceless lives," Mr Dvorkovich was quoted as saying. "Wars kill hopes and aspirations, freeze or destroy relationships and connections."
Mr was also chairman of the FIFA World Cup Russian organising committee, and chair of Russia’s state-owned railways.
Mr Dvorkovich, who is now president of the International Chess Federatio(FIDE), is one of the most high-profile former senior Kremlin officials to openly criticise the war.
The war in Ukraine began on February 24 when Russian President Vladimir Putin launched what he called a "special military operation," the biggest attack on a European state since World War Two.
Mr Dvorkovich’s comments come after a rare anti-war protest occurred in the studio during a programme on Russian state TV’s Channel One.
During the show, an activist held up a sign in English and Russian that said: "NO WAR. Stop the war. Don’t believe propaganda. They are lying to you here."
The protester could be seen and heard for several seconds before the channel switched to a different report so she was no longer visible.
