Russian Oligarch Renounces Citizenship After Claiming 'Everything Putin Touches Dies'

An oligarch and former oil tycoon has publicly renounced his Russian citizenship as Putin continues to invade neighbouring Ukraine.

In a post on Facebook, Leonid Nevzlin announced that he wanted to get rid of his Russian passport and calling his home country a 'fascist' state.

"Russian citizenship in itself has turned into a mark moral turpitude that I no longer want to carry … I’m against the war," Nevzlin said.

"I’m against the occupation. I’m against the destruction of the Ukrainian people.

"I cannot afford to be a citizen of a country that kills children of other countries."

The former oil tycoon went on to highlight that he is an Israeli citizen but he would be 'proud to receive a Ukrainian passport'.

Nevzlin and Russian president Vladimir Putin have a chequered past, with the former fleeing to Israel after murder and financial charges were levied against him nearly 20 years ago.

Nevzlin, who now resides in Israel, claims he was the victim of political persecution during the Yukos investigation.

His new home has refused to extradite him back to Russia since he left in 2008.

According to Buisness Insider, Nevzlin has repeatedly denied the charges against him, and referred to Russian authorities in his statement on Facebook.

"I was one of the first to be hit by Putin. He threw my friends in jails, and killed some of them," Nevzlin said, before adding that 'everything Putin touches dies'.

Nevzlin isn't the first Russian oligarch to hit out at Putin over the Ukrainian invasion.

His former business partner Mikhail Khodorkovsky told CNN that Putin's move against Ukraine likely reduced the time the Russian president remains in power.

Russia's former richest man is an outspoken critic of the Russian president after he was thrown in jail by Putin in 2005 for helping fund the opposition party running against the now-Russian leader.

Sanctioned Russian billionaires Mikhail Fridman and Oleg Deripaska have also called for the war in Ukraine to end as soon as possible.

"We need peace as soon as possible, as we have already passed the point of no return...The entire world will be different, Russia will be different as well," Deripaska said.

Steel tycoon Vladimir Lisin has so far dodged sanctions, but has also urged Putin to end the war via a letter to his employees.

If you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information.