Russian President Vladimir Putin asked leading businessmen to make large voluntary contributions to the state budget and reiterated that Russia would continue fighting Ukraine until it captured the remaining parts of the Donbas region, The Bell reported on March 27, citing people familiar with the matter. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that such contributions were discussed.

Putin made the request during a meeting with leading Russian oligarchs and business elites. Suleiman Kerimov, a gold magnate who controls gold producer Polyus, and Oleg Deripaska, founder of aluminum giant Rusal, reportedly signaled willingness to contribute. The Kremlin has previously tapped private sector resources to support the war effort, including a one-off windfall tax on large companies in 2023. This time, the move comes as Ukrainian drone strikes during the week of March 22 posed one of the most serious threats yet to Russian oil exports, damaging key Baltic terminals, disrupting operations and curbing Russia's ability to sustain export volumes despite favorable global prices.