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Ex-Chancellor and gas lobbyist Gerhard Schröder
Photo: Alexey Vitvitsky / SNA / IMAGO
A former top manager of Russia's Gazprombank, Igor Volobuyev, has criticized former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's engagement in Russia.
"Gerhard Schröder has been an agent of Russian interests for many years," Volobuyev told the weekly Die Zeit.
Born in Ukraine, Volobuyev fled Russia to Ukraine in early March to join the territorial defense and fight against Russia.
"I want to cleanse myself of my Russian past," Volobuyev said recently in a video interview.
He left Russia on March 2nd.
Volobuyev justified his flight by saying that he himself was born in the Ukraine, that he condemned Russia's war of aggression and that he wanted to "defend my homeland with weapons in his hands".
Russian-language media also reported on the manager's escape.
»Russia has two weapons: the gas and oil pipelines – and the atomic bomb«
According to the manager, who worked for Gazprombank for six years, the fact that Germany has become dependent on Russian natural gas in recent years is a fundamental mistake.
"One should have understood that Gazprom is not really a company that is supposed to make a profit, but an economic instrument in a political war," says Volobuyev.
»Russia has two weapons: the gas and oil pipelines – and the atomic bomb.«
In order to stop Putin, it is necessary for Europe to stop buying Russian natural gas, according to Volobuyev.
“It's a clash of cultures.
And our future depends on it.
Europe must boycott Russian gas«.
Regarding his personal motives for fleeing, Volobuyev says that Russian soldiers killed friends of his and that his father sat in a basement at minus ten degrees for a month during the attacks.
He therefore feels deep guilt that he worked for the Russian state-owned company Gazprom for more than 20 years.
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