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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsI was wrong about the Russian oligarchs
I thought the economic sanctions might pressure the oligarchs to get rid of Putin. I didn't fully realize that they are only able to enrich themselves and keep their wealth at Putin's pleasure.
I recently watched the documentary Citizen K on Amazon Prime. It's about the oligarch Mikhail Khordorkovsky. He became extremely wealthy during the immediate post-Soviet years by seizing much of the nation's oil supply. But when he became critical of Putin, he was imprisoned. Released ten years later, he moved to London, where many such oligarchs live, or, more accurately, lived. Putin has had murdered a number of the disgraced oligarchs living in London. We know this from news accounts, but I wasn't fully aware of how important these men had been in Russia. The killings included, for example, Boris Berezovsky, who had big one of the big seven oligarchs of the post-Soviet, early Putin years. Khordorkovsky remains alive, so far.
Putin's major fear seems to be not the oligarchs turning on him but assassination by someone close to him. All the pictures we've seen of him sitting at the far end of an extremely long table in meetings is about not getting close enough to anyone to allow them to kill him. It's not about COVID because when he recently met with a group of flight attendants, he sat near them, as this picture shows.
It's going to be very difficult to get rid of Putin. He's a mean sod who knows how to protect himself, whether through imprisoning critics, murdering them, or keeping himself safe from assassination. He must go down, but how?
Wingus Dingus
(8,059 posts)and cronies who associate too much with Western thought and culture, and how Russia needs a "purification"--sounds like a purge or some other internal operation is in the works?
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)...meanwhile, Zelenskyy taunts him about spies in his inner circle.
Gonna be a lot of blood on the Kremlin floors before this is over.
Wingus Dingus
(8,059 posts)iemanja
(53,066 posts)Since he's busily purging the FSB.
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)These dictator cucks are so predictable.
SheltieLover
(57,073 posts)Just guessing, of course.
Igel
(35,356 posts)Disloyal everybody. The bedbugs are all over the place and need to be carefully sought for and destroyed.
Oligarchs, sure. But newsfolk, reporters, teachers, professors, artists, retirees, school kids, whoever. There aren't enough oligarchs to form a "fifth column".
As for their role, think corporatism--it's when you have private companies but really it's the government that's calling the shots because the corporations are in bed with government and government has so much control (legal or otherwise) that the corporations are "captured" and serve the government's politics. It's an evil thing, and was very Mussolini.
Putin doesn't like an oligarch, oligarch is nothing but a glorified manager that profited greatly. They formed a kind of good ol' boys club, in on the process of collaborating to rig the country for their (and Putin's) wealth in exchange for making sure Putin had economic power. Right now, though, the oligarchs are *really* over a barrel. In the past, the oligarch could simply easily move liquid assets abroad, so if Putin came to tear off his nuts the oligarch could jump on a plane and land elsewhere and still be rich. Now they have trouble flying outside of Russia, they have trouble accessing or moving their assets, and if Putin comes for them they're corralled by sanctions.
That Putin cowed the siloviki is more concerning. The oligarchs had his ear but were managers; the siloviki are the movers and shakers in the various military and security apparatuses, and have real power. Or, I should say, "had" real power. Now they only have power to the extent that they agree with Putin. Wasn't good, now it's far worse.
Wingus Dingus
(8,059 posts)inner security thugs need him more than he needs them, which cast doubt on whether pressure from sanctions targeting the rich, yacht seizures, etc. would really work to dissuade him. He can find a new cast of lackeys and managers, unfortunately.
zuul
(14,628 posts)Can you see my response here?
iemanja
(53,066 posts)Kali
(55,019 posts)and in GD
lame54
(35,321 posts)The richest man in the world all alone in a room who can't even go near a window
Joinfortmill
(14,456 posts)iemanja
(53,066 posts)Phoenix61
(17,019 posts)the line would be pretty long. The more Putin purges from the top the farther removed from him, and possibly the less loyal, their replacements will be.
Yorkie Mom
(16,420 posts)More info on his inner circle here: https://www.democraticunderground.com/100216469510
Article: https://www.ft.com/content/503fb110-f91e-4bed-b6dc-0d09582dd007?segmentId=b385c2ad-87ed-d8ff-aaec-0f8435cd42d9
iemanja
(53,066 posts)It makes a lot of sense.
FakeNoose
(32,748 posts)... then they each give half their stolen wealth to Pootie. That's how Pootie became the richest man in the world.
I learned about this scheme in Bill Browder's interesting and scary book, "Red Menace."