On Monday(5/23/22), it was a rare public protest by a Russian official, when a twenty-year veteran of Russia’s diplomatic service resigned in protest of the country’s assault on Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin’s diplomat at the United Nations in Geneva, Boris Bondarev, criticized the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for its involvement in what he called an “aggressive war” on a LinkedIn account, a term that is prohibited by Russian law during times of war because of censorship requirements.
Bondarev was contacted by the Russian business journal Kommersant and confirmed that the message was legitimate.
The New York Times revealed that officials in Geneva had received an email resignation.
Corruption in the Russian government has been slammed in the LinkedIn post “These war planners want nothing more than to hold onto power for as long as possible, to live in ostentatious mansions with no regard for the ordinary person, and to cruise around on yachts with a tonnage and a price tag comparable to the entire Russian navy. They’re willing to make as many sacrifices as necessary to get there. Many Russian and Ukrainian citizens have already paid the ultimate price.”
According to his LinkedIn page, he is described as a Russian diplomat and expert in arms control and nonproliferation.
#opentowork has been added to the photo caption on the LinkedIn profile.