While Russia's richest men were busy shuffling their mega-yachts out of sight and selling off assets to avoid the pinch of sanctions, some of their progeny were making statements of their own.
The children of these oligarchs, some of the most powerful players in Russia, ordinarily spend their downtime away from the world of geopolitics.
Their Instagram feeds are filled with designer handbags and private jets, cocktails by the sunset and boxing lessons on the pool deck.
But as President Vladimir Putin began to bang the drums of war, some of the young elite chose to speak out.
It's not just the children of oligarchs whose lavish lifestyles are funded by Russia's alleged kleptocracy.
Influencers, models and the descendants of Russian politicians are also cautiously voicing their support for Ukraine.
Who are Russia's super rich kids?
One of the latest oligarchs to be hit by Western sanctions is Roman Abramovich, a former governor and long-time Putin ally who made his fortune in oil and aluminium after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
His 162-metre super yacht Eclipse and Boeing 767 private jet are both in the sights of US President Joe Biden's "kleptocapture taskforce", and the UK has imposed a travel ban and asset freeze, tying up the sale of one of his most prized possessions, Chelsea Football Club.
Abramovich has so far resisted pressure to condemn Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine, but that hasn't stopped his 26-year-old daughter Sofia from speaking out.
In an Instagram Story last week, she shared a post with the caption: "The biggest and most successful lie of Kremlin's propaganda is that most Russians stand with Putin."
Among Putin's closest aides is his press secretary Dmitry Peskov.
As a Kremlin mouthpiece, Peskov has been one of Russia's most vocal proponents of the war in Ukraine, justifying the invasion as well as the arrest of thousands of anti-war protesters.
But while Peskov was preparing for an invasion, his daughter Elizaveta Peskova, 24, made a simple but powerful statement in opposition: HET BONHE, meaning, "no to war".
The hashtag appeared on her Instagram Stories in late February, but the post was later deleted and her profile switched to private.
The US issued sanctions against Peskov in early March, and extended them to his wife and two adult children today, saying in a statement the family "lead luxurious lifestyles that are incongruous with Peskov's civil servant salary".
The same anti-war message posted by Peskova was shared by thousands of Russians in the days following the invasion, including members of an influential group known as 'the Family'.
Tatyana Yumasheva was among the inner circle surrounding her father Boris Yeltsin who helped install Vladimir Putin as president in the 1990s. In exchange, it's said that this inner circle was promised safety and prosperity.
Her husband Valentin Yumashev, an influential adviser of Putin's, is seen as a figurehead for the group that also includes his daughter Polina Yumasheva and Polina's estranged husband Oleg Deripaska, a metals tycoon who has also been named in US and UK sanction lists.
Tatyana and Valentin's 19-year-old daughter Masha Yumasheva, like her mother, posted her own HET BONHE message on Instagram and shared video from an anti-war protest in London.
While Oleg Derpiaska and Polina Yumsheva's children, Pyotr, 21, and Maria, 19, have stayed out of the spotlight, the billionaire himself has been cautiously speaking out against the war.
"Peace is very important!" he wrote on Telegram in late February.
"Negotiations need to start as soon as possible!"
Are their social media stances a black square moment, or something more?
In many cases, the statements haven't gone much further than "no to war". Ksenia Sobchak has had much more to say.
The daughter of former St Petersburg mayor Anatoly Sobchak and Russian senator Lyudmilla Narusova, Sobchak rose to fame as a reality TV host and socialite in the early 2000s.
After dabbling in music and acting, Sobchak pivoted from entertainment to journalism, and later politics, becoming the youngest Russian presidential candidate in history in taking on Putin at the 2018 election.
Given her father's close mentor relationship with Putin, skeptics accused Sobchak of being a Kremlin plant, while others dismissed the election bid as a brand-building exercise for "the Paris Hilton of Russia".
Regardless, Sobchak took the opportunity to air her own criticisms of the President.
"In a system created by Putin, it is only possible for Putin to win. I am realistic about who will become the president," she told the New York Times in 2018.
Since then, Sobchak has built up her online presence, attracting almost 3 million subscribers to her YouTube channel, Caution: Sobchak, where early this year she was interviewing prominent Russians and dissecting what Vladimir Putin's end game might be.
She told her Instagram followers last week she'd had to temporarily suspend her regular videos, over concerns she could be targeted by Russian propaganda laws.
"The world is on the brink of disaster … Global geopolitical interests cannot be more important than the simple peaceful life of millions of people!" she wrote in another post.
Sobchak has also spoken about the way sanctions are affecting ordinary Russians, after Google cut off payment-based YouTube services in Russia, meaning creators can no longer generate any income from viewers inside the country.
"The UN had a bright idea here a few hours ago … 'sanctions should not affect civilians'. Read this sentence again," she wrote.
What's at stake for Russia's rich kids?
Many of Russia's richest heirs and heiresses live outside the motherland.
Sofia Abramovich, a professional equestrian, divides her time between London and Sussex.
And Elizaveta Peskova studied in Paris before going to Brussels to intern for a right-wing member of the European Parliament.
Being beyond the reach of Russian authorities may offer some protection to anyone who speaks out against Vladimir Putin's war.
But European governments are being encouraged to send the children of suspected oligarchs home.
Cancelling residency permits so they're forced to return to Russia was one idea floated by Nikita Kulachenkov, a forensic accountant and political activist.
"That would be painful," she told Forbes magazine.
And for those whose parents are targeted by US, European or UK sanctions, their lifestyles are on the line.
Several British MPs are calling on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to kick out the children of oligarchs who are being educated at the UK's elite institutions.
"Putin's princelings are enjoying education in the finest places of our country while he destroys Ukrainian schools," Tom Tugendhat, chair of the House of Commons foreign affairs committee told the UK Daily Mail.
Another MP, Nickie Aiken, said:
"Why should the children of Putin's cronies benefit from an education in this country when Ukrainian children are being murdered?"
Whatever steps the West chooses next, it's clear that the families of Russia's oligarchy are no longer off limits.
In a tweet he later deleted, the European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell Fontelles gave a stern warning to Russia's elite.
"No more: Shopping in Milano, Partying in Saint Tropez, Diamonds in Antwerp. This is a first step," he said.