Russian tycoon urges longer working hours to navigate global challenges

Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska has urged Russians to transition to a six-day work schedule from 08:00 to 20:00 to accelerate the country’s transformation “from global opportunities to regional ones, with all possible restrictions.”

In a post on his Telegram channel, Deripaska stated that 2026 has become a different year “for everyone,” not just for Russia. He described the current situation as a deep crisis rather than a purely economic one.

“It is caused by a difficult transformation… But we will have to go through this path anyway, and preferably as quickly as possible… We don’t have many resources. To be precise, we have only one, and it is linked to our national trait: in difficult moments, we know how to pull ourselves together and work harder,” the businessman wrote.

Oleg Deripaska is a Russian entrepreneur, billionaire, and founder of the Basic Element company. According to Forbes as of March 23, 2026, his net worth stands at $7.2 billion.