it’s the russian oligarchs

The oligarchs are an important pillar of Putin’s power: Russians who enriched themselves in the decades following the fall of the Soviet Union, often by buying up means of production when they were not yet reasonably priced . They needed the (corrupt) support of politicians. In return, they lent assistance to the regime: construction of a bridge to the Crimea, oil pumping, financial constructions.

Western powers hope to undermine this pillar by imposing sanctions on the oligarchs. In most cases, this means that their assets and property in the West are frozen, they remain in their possession, but then cannot access them. In addition, it is no longer allowed to do business with them and they no longer receive visas for Western countries. The underlying idea: if their cost-benefit analysis changes, their attitude towards Putin may also change.

But not all oligarchs are necessarily Putin paladins. In the overview below, we therefore distinguish three circles around Putin. In the first circle are Putin’s old friends, in the second the classical oligarchs who are among his confidants. The third circle is formed by the oligarchs least connected to the Kremlin, who try above all not to make mistakes.