The founder of a major Russian bank says he was forced to sell his stake in the entity after criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin's administration for invading Ukraine.

Oleg Tinkov, the founder of one of Russia's major banks, slammed Russia's invasion of Ukraine as "crazy" in a social media post last month. He also wrote that 90 percent of Russians don't support the war.

He continued in English, "Dear 'collective West' please give Mr. Putin a clear exit to save his face and stop this massacre."

Last week, a company led by a Russian billionaire believed to be close to Putin announced that it acquired from Tinkov his 35 percent stake in the bank group.

In an interview with the New York Times released on May 1, Tinkov said the Kremlin contacted the bank's senior executives the day after he posted the criticism.

The paper quoted Tinkov as saying that the authorities threatened to "nationalize your bank if he doesn't sell it and the owner doesn't change, and if you don't change the name."

Tinkov told the paper that he sold his stake at 3 percent of what he believed to be its true value. He also said, "I don't believe in Russia's future."

The latest development offered a glimpse into growing nervousness among the Putin administration over a possible backlash from members of the public opposed to the war in Ukraine.