VLAD WHO?:

Mikhail Fridman, founder of Russia's largest private bank Alfa Bank and one of the country's richest men, became the first Russian businessman to speak out against the conflict Friday, calling for an end to the "tragedy" and "bloodshed."

In a letter to staff at his London-based private equity firm LetterOne, the Ukrainian native, whose parents still live in the country, said he was "convinced" that "war can never be the answer."

"I am deeply attached to Ukrainian and Russian peoples and see the current conflict as a tragedy for them both," he wrote in the letter first seen by the Financial Times.

"I do not make political statements," he continued, "I am a businessman with responsibilities to my many thousands of employees in Russia and Ukraine. I am convinced however that war can never be the answer. This crisis will cost lives and damage two nations who have been brothers for hundreds of years."

Fridman's gamut of businesses include mobile carrier Veon, whose CEO Kaan Terzioglu told CNBC Monday that the war should be "stopped as soon as possible."

"I really believe that this madness should stop as fast as possible," he said, adding that the company is providing internet connectivity to Ukrainians fleeing the conflict.

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