Ukraine war: Evgeny Lebedev is a member of Britain's House of Lords.
London: The Russian owner of one of Britain's leading newspapers on Monday urged President Vladimir Putin to withdraw from Ukraine, to prevent further bloodshed and war with Europe.
Evgeny Lebedev, who is also a British citizen, said Europe was "on the brink of another world war" while the world faced "a possible nuclear disaster".
In an open letter to Putin in his London Evening Standard, Lebedev said: "I plead with you to use today's negotiations to bring this terrible conflict in Ukraine to an end."
"As a Russian citizen I plead with you to stop Russians killing their Ukrainian brothers and sisters," he added in the freesheet.
"As a British citizen I ask you to save Europe from war. As a Russian patriot I plead that you prevent any more young Russian soldiers from dying needlessly."
"As a citizen of the world I ask you to save the world from annihilation."
Lebedev is the son of a former KGB officer-turned-oligarch, Alexander Lebedev, and is a member of Britain's House of Lords.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson nominated him for a life peerage to the upper chamber of parliament with the title "Baron Lebedev, of Hampton in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and of Siberia in the Russian Federation".
Lebedev supported Johnson during his time as London's mayor.
But Johnson's relationship with the media mogul and his father, who is a severe critic of the Kremlin, have prompted security questions.
When he was foreign secretary, Johnson attended a party at Evgeny Lebedev's Italian villa in April 2018, apparently without a security detail.
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