The Russian business elite considers Putin's political era to be "exhausted."
11-07-2026 15:41 Politics
1in.am Andrey Melnychenko, a member of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, has published an authored article in The Economist, which has also been translated by the Russian "Nezavisimaya Gazeta." The main message of this rather extensive text is perhaps encapsulated in the last two paragraphs.
Summarizing observations about the West-Russia competition, the author concludes that the choice "is not about love or hatred towards Russia, punishment and forgiveness, morality and political cynicism, but between two types of futures, either great powers become subjects of responsibility again, or each strives to turn the others into objects of governance." According to the author, the second path has "led to war," referring to the Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict.
"We must pass through this dangerous time with responsibility, step away from the edge of the abyss, and only then try to understand how we ended up there and how to build a new world. But that will already be the task of the next generation. The role of our generation is to give them the opportunity to talk about something."
The Russian businessman, whose net worth is estimated by Forbes at $25.2 billion, is also known as a philanthropist and "social investor." He has been under EU sanctions since 2023. Essentially, Melnychenko has expressed the position of the Russian business elite. And as follows from the quoted last paragraph, he considers the political time of Putin and his generation to be "exhausted" and demands that the Russian president "stop at the edge of the abyss."
The article is written for a Western "reader," but it can be assumed that Melnychenko's text has "passed Kremlin censorship." Apparently, Vladimir Putin needs the "demand to stop at the edge of the abyss" to be voiced. This may be an opportunity to stop the war and allow a new generation of politicians to engage in dialogue with the West.
* This text was automatically translated by Artificial Intelligence (AI).
ENGLISH
