After participating in the congress of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, President Vladimir Putin held a closed meeting with businessmen, at which, according to The Bell, he offered them to donate money for the war, the BBC reported.
The content of such meetings is usually not disclosed, and after the start of the war even the list of participants in them is classified, but according to sources of The Bell, Putin discussed with the oligarchs the continuation of the war in Ukraine and its financing.
"They said: we will fight", - one of the interlocutors of the publication recounted the essence of Putin's statement.
"We will reach the borders of Donbass", - another source of The Bell conveyed the meaning of what the Russian president said.
Both interlocutors of the publication reported that Putin offered big business to make voluntary contributions to budget.
Russia should be careful not to squander its higher oil revenues, Putin warns
"We must remain cautious. If the markets swing one way today, they may swing the other way tomorrow," he stressed.
According to one of the sources, the idea of "shaking up business in difficult times for the country" belongs to the head of "Rosneft" Igor Sechin, who outlined it in a letter to Putin.
As The Bell writes, some businessmen responded to the request during the meeting - billionaire Suleiman Kerimov promised to contribute 100 billion rubles.