Vladimir Putin’s government has launched an aggressive campaign to nationalize the assets of Konstantin Strukov, one of Russia’s richest men and the owner of the country’s largest gold mining company. The move marks a sharp escalation in the Kremlin’s efforts to extract wealth from within its own elite as the financial toll of the war in Ukraine deepens.
Strukov, whose fortune is estimated at over $3.5 billion, is the founder of Yuzhuralzoloto—a gold empire built over decades with strong ties to the Kremlin. But on July 5, his private jet was grounded by Russian authorities as it prepared to leave for Turkey. His passport was reportedly seized, and the aircraft barred from departing.
Strukov’s company has denied the incident entirely, stating that he was in Moscow on the day in question and calling the reports “disinformation.” But court documents confirm that a judge had already banned him and his family from leaving the country, and government agencies moved quickly to enforce it.
I will now recommend the Sad Oligarch podcast. Short series on the mysterious deaths of Russian oligarchs in the last few years.
Ooooh, gringo broligarchs, cast your eyes upon all the fucks left to give, and see that $Trump wallet may also be empty.
If you nationalize your industry, you should be doing it to reform and re-gear it to support your country.
Clearly, Putin here is not interested in making it good for the country, but that his petty war has him cash-strapped and needs to forcibly ‘borrow’ his billionaire friends’ assets.
This is a pretty good example of why I say even millinoaires and billionaires should support a functional democractic society with taxation and regulation and social safety nets. Its the old penny wise and pound foolish. Getting a sliver more and a sliver more and then you lose it all because the rule of law was thrown out long ago. It won’t necessarily take that long to. At a certain point it could happen at any time. Maybe it will. Maybe it won’t.
This all depends on the people born into wealth being reasonable people.
Most are unhinged psychopaths or nepo babies with too much ego.
Which is why wealth needs to be forcefully redistributed, they won’t do it voluntarily.
a functional democratic society would not have billionaires and hopefully millionaires neither
A functional society doesn’t need money.
This is the oligarchy that American technocrats want to recreate at home. Owning things is dependent on being alive. Maybe paying a couple percent extra on taxes is worth it.
Billionaires siding with dictators thinking they’ll be protected?
Some folks became billionaires in Russia simply because they were friends of Putin though.
These may truly be protected class. Everyone else though - out the window as soon as they outlive their usefulness.
It’s funny to me that they think they’ll be special, every single time. “They won’t throw me out the window for my fortune!”
Well, in the case of Nazi Germany it worked spectacularly well. Many of Germanys most rich people are inheritors to industrial fortunes that got unimaginably rich with selling weapons to the Nazi army and using forced labor from the concentration camps. The families Quandt/Klatten (BMW) and Porsche/Piech (Porsche,VW, Audi…) come to mind directly. The Krupps are also still in the game although they have gambled a lot of money away over the past decades
Hitler didn’t stay in power long enough to take everything though. (my bad, it was longer than I thought). Also, they probably toed the line and didn’t piss him off so they could make lots of money. They weren’t special either.
Leopards Throwing Out Of Windows Party
Window Inspectors Against Workplace Safety party
Nah. They all play this game; they all know the risk. It’s all about gaining leverage and the correct alignment at the right time.
He probably knows it’s happening and sacrifices himself for his family and assets.
Usually they are. Dictators typically gain and keep power by appeasing the wealthy and powerful.
Not keep power, just to get it. Then they dump them once they’ve got it. See Giuliani, Musk, My Pillow guy, Herman Cain, etc.
I mean… No - to keep it. “No man rules alone.” They need key supporters. However simply “being rich” is not enough.
It’s funny because $3.5bln is nothing when trying to cover the war effort, but it’ll spark a massive distrust in the Kremlin’s inner circle, which is basically the only group of people that can realistically threaten Putin’s very life.
I’m still waiting for these fuckers to finally grow some balls.
Nah. Russia will implode itself on its own even without resistance. As if Russia never learned anything that autocratic control over economy never works, because their political culture is too corrupt to function effectively.
Francis Fukuyama, as wrong as he was about the end of history, is still correct that dictatorships eventually collapse because they surround themselves with yes men who are too detached from reality. The invasion of Ukraine is the beginning of the end for Putin. It is only a matter of time.
the beginning of the end for Putin. It is only a matter of time.
With his age, he has all biological means to fuck around and never find out. I believe the legacy talk captures him, but the fact he himself would never meet any pushback makes many of his decisions way easier than if he was 40yo and had another 40+ to his rule. Any other minute of him fucking up foreign countries with a weaponised influence, not to say direct warfare, is a minute too much.
He could’ve tried to revive the country, and he got an easy start in the 00s, but he chosed to gamble it instead.
He could’ve tried to revive the country, and he got an easy start in the 00s, but he chosed to gamble it instead.
That’s not why people become dictators. Not to mention that in autocratic environments heads of states don’t really feel the consequences of their actions, and don’t really mind throwing millions of their own people under the bus to bring some ephemeral former glory back.
The USA elite should take notice. It’ll happen to them too. Trump will ruin them if things get between himself and them.
It’s all ready happening between him and Musk unless that’s all kayfabe
Trump Admin using national security as a pre-tense to take control over X/Twitter away from Musk, and effectively killing it in favour of Truth Social
it’s so much better when you take from the rich, rather than taking from the poor like we do in the united states.
They take from the poor in Russia too though. The rich aren’t the ones being fed into the meat grinder in Ukraine.
the difference is that the united states ONLY takes from the poor, while the russians take from both rich AND poor.
the difference is that the united states ONLY takes from the poor
Takes as in seizes; nevertheless I admire how you twisted to the point to better comport w your world view. Lol
Call me crazy, but people might take ML users stand against fascism more seriously if they did literally anything with it besides just rooting for a different Imperial kleptocracy built on violence.
the only thing that’s crazy is westerners refusing to learn from the large body of independent evidence that defines marxists/leninists in a similar manner that climate deniers refuse to learn from the large body of climate science evidence.
How do you not get exhausted from being so incredibly wrong all the time?
I’m powered by the fact that liberals like you get it wrong SIGNIFICANTLY more often. Lol
Defending a violent, Imperial, kleptoctacy is not Marxism. Lying about how you are being criticized is not a genius plan to avoid the consequences of what you said. Can you communicate in anything other than buzz words or am I talking to a chat bot?
That’s not what I said.
I would recommend that you reread the comment before it gets deleted by the liberal mods in this community; but I already know that your ilk doesn’t respond well to reality.
Trust me the US will start taking from wealthy Americans as well soon enough. Once authoritarian groups burn enough Bridges and goodwill. They always have to scapegoat another group.
It’s pretty hilarious how so many people think that the boot isn’t the problem. The flavor of it is all that matters.
Conversely, if Putin falls out a window, maybe they can keep their business.
They’re scared they’ll go down with him. But they’ll finally have to accept the fact that they’re fucked either way. At this point, getting rid of him is their best chance.
They’re scared they’ll go down with him. But they’ll finally have to accept the fact that they’re fucked either way. At this point, getting rid of him is their best chance.
Yup. They’re at the point where the consequences of obedience are as bad as defiance.
Best have him fall out a window and see if prospects change.
Please. There are hundreds ready to take Putins place. Some politically, but hundreds behind the scenes who also have finger puppets ready for ”power” who can step in for both Medvedev and Putin. The rest of the dog kennel (like Lavrov) will keep barking for their masters sake.
Please. There are hundreds ready to take Putins place. Some politically, but hundreds behind the scenes who also have finger puppets ready for ”power” who can step in for both Medvedev and Putin. The rest of the dog kennel (like Lavrov) will keep barking for their masters sake.
It sure sounds like you’re advocating staying meek and submissive in the face of Tyranny.
I guess you didn’t really read. Just pointing out that you need to do more than kill the puppetmaster to replace all those who he either trained or who learned how to thrive in his absence.
I guess you didn’t really read. Just pointing out that you need to do more than kill the puppetmaster to replace all those who he either trained or who learned how to thrive in his absence.
I guess you didn’t really understand my comment.
You’d have to be a complete knuckehead to think that the point of killing a Tyrant is to have one of their trainees take over.
Maybe I should clarify: Oh you spring child who knows nothing of the year, how it turns and how winter turns planted hopes into frozen fears.
Pre-edit: You’re right. Which is why Putin’s death won’t bring much boon. Staying silent, quiet or passive won’t bring much in opposition to the face of tyranny either. But eliminating the current tyranny will be more difficult than what the people tried to accomplish over a hundred years ago, as the dissemination of power is different nowadays. Before, one used to think that cutting the head of a hydra might be difficult, but possible in the long run. Today, well…
You’re right. Which is why Putin’s death won’t bring much boon. Staying silent, quiet or passive won’t bring much in opposition to the face of tyranny either. But eliminating the current tyranny will be more difficult than what the people tried to accomplish over a hundred years ago, as the dissemination of power is different nowadays. Before, one used to think that cutting the head of a hydra might be difficult, but possible in the long run. Today, well…
The more you talk, the more you sound like you’re following marching orders:
Drive home the point that resistance is futile.
Somebody give Trump the idea to do this to Musk.
that cunt Zuckerberg should pay attention.
Your comment will probably get removed. So for this sweet moment. I agree.
It’s not a threat to someone’s health or life. Simply pointing out that he’s a fool to think that similar groups wouldn’t turn on him if they wanted to. All gung ho to try and join them. I think the comment is safe.
The reddit still echo’s in my head. Although not totally safe here, the past trauma is real.
