As the war in Ukraine approaches its third winter, Russian President Vladimir Putin finds himself trapped on many fronts. During the two and a half years of his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Putin has drawn on Russia’s vast energy resources to avert the collapse of the Russian economy. But now, with some energy bosses deciding to distance themselves from Putin’s regime, the benefits of oil and gas alone may not be enough to lift Russia’s economy. One of the secrets to Putin’s longevity in the highly complex world of Russian politics is his strong ties to a handful of wealthy businessmen known as oligarchs. Some of these billionaires were allies of former President Boris Yeltsin, while others rose to prominence alongside Putin, who succeeded Yeltsin in 2000. The first generation of oligarchs used their connections to buy Soviet-era state assets, such as energy companies, at bargain prices in the 1990s. Since the 2000s, “Putin’s oligarchs” have used their connections to secure huge contracts with the state. The “Yeltsin oligarchs” gained virtual control over Russia’s natural resources. Anyone who unintentionally crossed a red line or offended Putin could become a target. Despite the potential threat that the Yeltsin-era oligarchs posed to Putin, Putin has often chosen to embrace them rather than confront them, telling them they could keep their money and assets as long as they stayed out of politics. This gave the oligarchs an important role in Putin’s regime and imposed severe punishment on those who chose to oppose him. Putin imprisoned former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who rebelled against him, for nine years from 2003, demonstrating the ruthless nature of the measures he takes against those who oppose him. For 20 years, few have stood up to Putin. But the situation changed with the massive invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Western countries targeted sanctions not only on Russian government assets but also on the assets of many of Russia’s oligarchs in an attempt to exert some influence on Putin to stop the war. For oligarchs accustomed to holidays on the French Riviera and lavish parties on their mega yachts, the sanctions have meant that such a lavish lifestyle is no longer possible. Not only were they banned from traveling to many Western countries, but their yachts and other possessions were often seized. As a result, seized assets are left in legal limbo. The dam may start to break. The dam may start to break. In recent months, some of Putin’s inner circle, including Vladimir Lisin and Albert Abdolyan, have broken with Putin for the first time. Igor Rotenberg, who had been quietly selling off his shares in Russian companies for several years, recently liquidated all of his holdings in Russia. This is a significant move. That’s because Rotenberg, which is subject to European Union sanctions, was once one of the main beneficiaries of Gazprom-Brenye, an oil and gas drilling company that received contracts from the state gas monopoly Gazprom. In December 2023, Rotenberg sold its last major asset in Russia, its stake in rtits (officially rt Invest Transport Systems). Rotenberg, who was once estimated to have a net worth of $1.5 billion, was sanctioned by the UK in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Igor Rotenberg is the son of Putin’s judo partner, Arkady Rotenberg from St. Petersburg. *Omitted.
>>1 >Mr. Sugita was found to have violated human rights by the Sapporo and Osaka Legal Affairs Bureaus in 2023 for his posts insulting the Ainu and Korean residents in Japan. Also, Unified Korea Abe Hyakuta Nippon Backpacking Church NHK Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Dentsu Fuji Sankei Nikkei Mainichi Asahi Abema Jiji Press Kyodo News… Abe, Takaichi, Suga Yoshihide (Kono, Aso, Koizumi, Ishihara), Hase Hiroshi, Hagiuda, Sakurai Yoshiko, Sugita Mio (Hatoyama, Kan Naoto, Noda, Izumi, Ozawa Bekle, Suzuki Muneo, Mori Yoshiro, Tamaki, Maehara, Soka Ishin) are Koreans living in Japan, and they say that Hokkaido (and Honshu, Kyushu, and Okinawa) belong to the victorious nation.
I ask you: Who is more important, the Ukrainians or the Japanese victims of the disaster on the Noto Peninsula? Tell me why. Please don’t say that both are important.
You could fall out a window, the doorknob could be poisoned, you could be injected with radioactive material, or the plane you’re on could explode and crash.
It’s one thing to have a cute story about someone defecting just because they sold their stocks, but even with inflation, oil and gas revenues aren’t increasing much in tax revenues.
To resist would be to risk one’s life. Those who criticized, rebelled, or got in the way fell ill suddenly, committed suicide alone or with their families, or died in terrorist attacks or other incidents. My head is a kgb high.
If the invasion was in Russia’s interest, they would have withdrawn long ago. They can’t stop because Russia’s reputation is at stake. This means the Russian Empire may collapse.
On the day Putin is assassinated, the Self-Defense Forces should invade the Northern Territories and Sakhalin and reclaim the territory that was stolen from us.
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