Vladimir Lisin, a Russian billionaire, told employees at steelmaker NLMK that lost lives in Ukraine were a tragedy that was hard to justify, and called for a peaceful diplomatic resolution to the conflict.
Lisin, NLMK's chairman and main shareholder, said in a letter to staff that was posted on social networks by an employee that the company and its board of directors hoped that the conflict was resolved soon.
A spokesperson for the company confirmed the authenticity of the letter.
(Reporting by Reuters)