Back in 2000, foreign journalists asked the elected president of the Russian Federation: “Who are you, Mr. Putin?” Years have passed, now the whole world knows the Russian head of state, but for many he still remains a dark horse. One of the constant questions that plagues not only Russian citizens, but also foreign media is how much money does Putin really have?
How much do top officials of Russia receive?
Data on the income of civil servants and their families have been mandatory declared since 2008. The corresponding law was signed current president Dmitry Medvedev. And since 2010, the media began to publish information about the income and expenses of public officials, but only briefly. There is no mention of accounts, debt obligations, and no information about expenses. In addition, there is no information about the monthly salary of the top officials of the state - it is a secret. Official data only provides annual income. It is only possible to calculate monthly earnings only approximately, since other sources of income are also not indicated.
What is the salary of Russian President Putin?
Vladimir Vladimirovich regularly submits a declaration of his income to the tax authorities - both as president and as head of government from 2008 to 2012.
During his premiership, Putin's annual income was:
- in 2008 - 4.72 million rubles.
- in 2009 - 3.89 million rubles.
- in 2010 - 5.04 million rubles.
- in 2011 - 3.66 million rubles.
As for personal property, the declaration for this entire period mentioned an apartment (77 sq. m), a plot of land (1500 sq. m), and a garage (12 sq. m). Another apartment (153.7 sq. m.) and a garage space (18 sq. m.) were also indicated for official use. The prime minister owned two cars (GAZ M-21 and GAZ M-21 R) and a Skif trailer. In 2009, another VAZ 2121 car appeared. In addition, in 2008, Vladimir Putin noted that he owned shares in the bank OJSC St. Petersburg, but in 2009 they were not on the list.
In 2012, Putin was again elected president. From that moment on, the income of the head of state began to grow steadily, with the exception of 2013. But in 2014, income more than doubled - the head of the country issued a decree increasing the salaries of the president and prime minister by 2.65 times. And already in 2015, he signed a decree to reduce his salary, as well as the salaries of the prime minister and some other officials, by 10%, which still did not prevent him from earning more than the year before:
- in 2012 - 5.79 million rubles.
- in 2013 – 3.67 million rubles.
- in 2014 – 7.65 million rubles.
- in 2015 – 8.89 million rubles.
In 2016, Putin’s income decreased slightly – by 33 thousand rubles. and amounted to 8.85 million.
How much does the President of the Russian Federation earn per month?
Putin's official salary is 340 thousand rubles per month. But it would be more correct to include entertainment expenses - about 8 million rubles per year. The president is free to use this money at his own discretion. As a result, the income of the head of state is 12 million rubles or 1 million per month.
From year to year, Putin’s income declaration remains unchanged only in terms of property - the list includes the same modest apartment, plot, garage, service apartment and service garage space, as well as two rare Volgas, a Niva and a Skif trailer. This is all that the Russian president officially owns.
1 million a month - is it a lot or a little? For example, look at how much leading top managers in Russia earn per year:
- Alexey Miller (Gazprom) - $17 million;
- Igor Sechin (Rosneft) - $13 million;
- German Gref (Sberbank) - $11 million.
If we translate into our usual rubles, we get that Miller’s annual income is just shy of 1 billion rubles! And Igor Sechin receives 2 million rubles....just per day!
Against this background, the salary of the Russian President no longer seems so large.
Earnings of the closest circle of the head of state
The income of other high-ranking officials is of no less interest. First of all, the second person of the state - Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. Moreover, from 2008 until the castling in 2012, Dmitry Anatolyevich himself managed to be president. Let's look at how his income changed:
- in 2008 – 4.14 million rubles.
- in 2009 – 3.34 million rubles.
- in 2010 – 3.38 million rubles.
- in 2011 – 3.37 million rubles.
- in 2012 - 5.82 million rubles.
- in 2013 – 4.26 million rubles.
- in 2014 – 8.05 million rubles.
- in 2015 – 8.77 million rubles.
Typically, the official income of the prime minister is slightly higher than that of the president. Therefore, Dmitry Anatolyevich’s earnings became higher precisely in the prime minister’s chair. Medvedev’s income in 2016, like the president’s, decreased slightly and amounted to 8.58 million rubles.
Medvedev also invariably owns an apartment shared with his wife (367.8 sq. m) and a plot of land on a lease basis (4,700 sq. m). In 2009, the rare GAZ-20 Pobeda car appeared on the list, and in 2012, the GAZ 21. During his presidential term, Dmitry Anatolyevich declared accounts in Russian banks, by 2011 he already had 15 of them.
As for other officials, the income of some of them exceeds the earnings of the president and prime minister combined.
Thus, in 2014, the largest income was declared by the head of the department for socio-economic cooperation Oleg Govorun - 114 million rubles. The second was the first deputy. Head of the Presidential Administration Vyacheslav Volodin - his income amounted to 62.9 million rubles. He transferred almost half of the money to various charitable foundations. The head of the Kremlin administration, Sergei Ivanov, indicated an income of 16.2 million rubles. Presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov declared 9.1 million rubles.
In 2015, Vyacheslav Volodin was in the lead with an income of 87.1 million rubles. He again gave a decent portion of the money to charity. Dmitry Peskov’s income increased several times and amounted to 36.7 million rubles. Sergei Ivanov, on the contrary, earned several million less - 10.3 million rubles. Oleg Govorun, who was the leader in 2014, indicated only 9.2 million rubles in 2015.
In 2016, the Minister for North Caucasus Affairs Lev Kuznetsov earned the most, his income amounted to 582.1 million rubles. From the Kremlin administration, the highest income is Sergei Kiriyenko, deputy. head of the presidential administration - 85.5 million rubles. Dmitry Peskov’s earnings decreased by almost 3 times - to 12.8 million rubles.
Who is bigger - salaries of world presidents
It is always interesting to compare which heads of state receive more than our president and which receive less. Of course the leaders different countries receive salaries in their native currency, but as an example, let’s look at the earnings of the countries’ top officials in 2015 in dollars. Our president earned approximately $145 thousand in a year.
Salaries of leaders of non-CIS countries
The Prime Minister of Singapore has the highest salary, about four times the income of the US President. High salaries for top officials of European states, as well as for the presidents of South Africa, Mexico and Argentina:
- Prime Minister of Singapore - $1,571 thousand per year;
- The President of the United States receives $400 thousand a year. This is exactly the amount Barack Obama received in 2015. However, Donald Trump, elected in 2016, publicly refused the required salary, leaving only a symbolic dollar. The billionaire has already donated his first earnings to the US National Park Service.
- Federal President of Germany - $227 thousand per year;
- President of Italy - $230 thousand per year;
- Prime Minister of Great Britain - $194 thousand per year;
- President of South Africa - $194 thousand per year;
- President of France - $179 thousand per year;
- President of Mexico - $150 thousand per year;
- President of Argentina - $120 thousand per year.
How much do heads of states of neighboring countries earn?
In neighboring countries, the salaries of country leaders are not so high. The President of Ukraine has the lowest salary. However, Petro Poroshenko receives income from other sources. In his income statement for 2016, he indicated the amount of 12 million hryvnia, which is approximately equal to 24 million rubles. Officials in the Central Asian region prefer not to publish salaries of officials, but Russian media report the following figures:
- President of Belarus – $33 thousand per year;
- President of Kazakhstan - $20 thousand per year;
- President of Uzbekistan - $15 thousand per year;
- President of Tajikistan - $13 thousand per year;
- President of Ukraine - $11 thousand per year.
The size of Putin's fortune according to unofficial data
Official earnings Russian President Among the ten highest salaries of country leaders in the world. However, Russians have little faith that officials can live only on their salaries, especially when it comes to the leader of a huge country. Popular rumors have long attributed fabulous wealth to their president. But foreign media are not far behind in their guesses.
How much is Putin's net worth estimated?
Number of withdrawn documentaries, investigations and books dedicated to the Russian president can only be envied. Which is quite logical, such materials are published mainly abroad. Whoever has undertaken to assess Vladimir Putin’s personal fortune. And the stakes are constantly rising.
Back in 2007, the British newspaper The Guardian assessed the Russian president's condition at $ 40 billion. Russian political scientist Stanislav Belkovsky argued that Putin is the holder of a large percentage of shares in a number of companies: Gunvor, Surgutneftegaz, and Gazprom.
In 2010 former employee KGB businessman Sergei Kolesnikov, having left Russia, wrote open letter to the then-current President Dmitry Medvedev, and also provided The Washington Post and The Financial Times with documents alleging that Vladimir Putin was corrupt and providing information about his financial empire.
In 2012, another British publication, The Sunday Times, published material stating that Putin owns $130 billion. The article argued that in fact, it is Vladimir Putin who owns billions of Russian oligarchs, and they are just masking his wealth.
There is no direct evidence of the president's billion-dollar fortune. Media and political scientists, as well as former friends of Vladimir Vladimirovich, argue that it is difficult to find them, since the Russian leader carefully conducts his business, which is based on concepts and agreements. Transactions are executed in the name of persons from the immediate environment. And you can be convinced of the growth of Putin’s well-being by tracking how the incomes of his entourage grew during his reign.
In 2015, the world media literally exploded with news:
Putin's financial fortune is estimated at 200 billion.
This incredible amount was announced by Bill Browder, head of the Hermitage Capital investment fund, in a CNN television program. He said that he considers the Russian president the richest man in the world. According to Browder, over the years of his rule, Putin embezzled hundreds of billions of dollars that were intended for the improvement of the country. Forbes magazine was quick to publish this news. But when asked why Vladimir Putin is not in the ranking of the richest people in the world, representatives of the magazine replied that they had not found evidence that the Russian president actually owns a multi-billion dollar fortune.
If these data could be confirmed, Vladimir Putin could truly be considered the richest man in the world. Indeed, in the ranking of the richest people in the world according to Forbes, published in 2016, the top lines are occupied by businessmen whose wealth is significantly less than 200 billion:
- Bill Gates is the founder of Microsoft. The condition is estimated at $ 75 billion
- Amancio Ortega is the founder of Zara. Manages the amount in $ 67 billion
- Warren Buffett is the head of Berkshire Hathaway. Owns capital in $ 60.8 billion
And in Russian list for the richest businessmen, the amounts are even more modest. In the top three:
- Leonid Mikhelson is the chairman of the board and shareholder of PJSC Novatek, as well as the chairman of the board of directors and shareholder of Sibur ($14.4 billion).
- Mikhail Fridman is chairman and co-owner of the supervisory board of Alfa Group, member of the supervisory board of VimpelCom Ltd ($13.3 billion).
- Alisher Usmanov is the founder of USM Holdings ($12.5 billion).
And, although Forbes did not include Vladimir Putin in any of the rankings of the richest people, in 2016 the Russian president is already a four-time leader in the list of the most influential people on the planet. According to the publication, Putin has extended Russia’s influence to almost the entire world. The top three also include American President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
What else can the President of Russia own?
Vladimir Putin is credited with more than just the billions in Swiss banks. The media published information about the Russian president’s possession of about sixty airplanes and helicopters, a collection of expensive watches, as well as twenty country villas and palaces.
The most famous is the residence at Cape Idokopas in the Gelendzhik region on the Black Sea coast. The secret residence is said to have been specially built for Putin and costs more than a billion dollars. The media called it “Putin’s palace” or “Putin’s dacha.” He himself denies that he has anything to do with her.
Also, journalists mention among Vladimir Vladimirovich’s property, which according to rumors was given to him by Roman Abramovich.
Only he himself knows what Putin’s personal condition really is. Back in 2008, he said that he considered himself the richest man in the world, but only because the Russian people twice entrusted him with leading a great country. The president prefers not to discuss questions about his fabulous wealth, calling all allegations and accusations idle chatter. The Russian president may not be the richest man in the world, but he is certainly one of the most influential.
Bill Gates and Warren Buffett and Jeff Bezos are put to shame - the three richest businessmen will be able to “catch up” with Putin only by teaming up. What can we say about the 45th President of the United States, with his $3 billion. He's just pathetic. It is not surprising that he tried so hard to please the President of the Russian Federation.
Bill Gates, the world's richest businessman whose colossal fortune grew further to $86 billion in 2017, not least as Microsoft (MSFT, +0.40%) shares rose, has been at the top of the list for years now. richest people in the world, compiled by Forbes magazine. However, apparently, the business publication is mistaken, since it does not take into account “world leaders” and dictators who acquire their wealth solely as a result of their position on the Olympus of power.
If Forbes included these people in its rating too, then a new “king of the hill” would appear on this list, since, according to the latest data, Vladimir Putin’s net worth is at least $200 billion, writes MarketWatch. The publication cites a publication in the International Business Times, which gave rise to another round of speculation regarding the extent of Putin’s wealth. One of the publication's sources reported, in particular, that his fortune is “only” about $40 billion, while another source estimates it at $70 billion.
While Bill Browder, a former investment fund manager in Russia, is confident that these estimates are fundamentally wrong:
"I believe [Putin is worth] $200 billion," he told CNN, adding that he owns a whopping "amount of money that could be spent on schools, roads and hospitals" stashed in Swiss bank accounts, stocks , hedge funds that are managed in the interests of Putin and his cronies.”
Famous comedian John Oliver devoted last weekend to Putin's wealth most his show “Last Week Tonight” on HBO.
The Konstantinovsky Palace on the shores of the Gulf of Finland is one of Putin’s modest “dachas”
“Even though he strenuously denies it, no one believes him,” Oliver said, rattling off a list of luxury items that were clearly impossible to acquire while earning Putin a $100,000 salary. For example, previous reports suggest that Putin owns 58 planes and helicopters, as well as 20 palaces and country houses, including a colossal estate worth a billion (!) dollars on the Black Sea coast.
Putin's Black Sea residence in Gelendzhik
No similar materials
Through Sberbank, the Russian President's team withdraws public money to the United States, turning it into their private property along the way.
In 1992, the St. Petersburg company Finzell was formed, which soon established the company ZAO Ilim Pulp Enterprise (IPE) ( registration number "AOL-1546, authorized capital in the amount of 1,000,000 rubles). Among the founders of Finzell CJSC, in addition to Zakhar Davidovich Smushkin and brothers Zingarevichs included a St. Petersburg lawyer Dmitry Medvedev, now known as " The president Russian Federation " At the same time, at Finzell CJSC Medvedev owned 50%, and Ilim Pulp Enterprise - 20% . This important fact in 2000 there wasindicated The Accounts Chamber in a special report dedicated to the raider takeovers carried out by the Zingarevich brothers and the future President of the Russian Federation.
The estimated value of the Ilim holding reached $1.5 billion by 2005. Therefore, there is reason to believe that Dmitry Anatolyevich’s personal capital even before his presidency was approaching a billion dollars.
This property is disguised, since Medvedev has been a civil servant for more than 11 years and cannot formally deal with commercial issues. Magazine "Profile" describes history of capital: " Medvedev's business partners were not particularly clean in their conduct of business. In the fall of 1999, realizing that the matter was steadily heading towards an unpleasant trial, Medvedev hastily left the ranks of the management of Ilim and resigned from the founders of the Finzell company. Just at the moment when the state began checking the legality of a number of Ilim’s privatization projects. As a result, it became clear, for example, that the privatization of one of the largest enterprises of the company, the Kotlas Pulp and Paper Mill, was illegal. But this no longer had anything to do with Medvedev*. And by that time he no longer lived in St. Petersburg... Already in November 1999... Medvedev was appointed to the post of deputy chief of staff of the government Dmitry Kozak. And in December he became deputy head of the Kremlin administration Alexandra Voloshina ».
Forbes in 2006 rated the company as 24th in the ranking of non-public corporations. In the same year, it was the Ilim Pipe team that lobbied for the adoption of the forest code, after which came into force in 2007, Russian forests burned in 2010.
Ilim enterprises produce 60% of Russian pulp and 25% of cardboard. In 2007, Ilima enterprisesproduced 1.6 million tons of commercial pulp, 755,700 tons of cardboard and 258,800 tons of paper . The volume of own timber harvesting during this period amounted to 7.1 million cubic meters. m. The total number of personnel is over 20 thousand people. The group's turnover in 2007 amounted to 19 billion rubles,net profit - 3 billion rubles. (according to RAS, taking into account the reorganization of the company from July 1, 2007). Revenue in 2007according to IFRS — $1.805 billion.
At the end of October 2006, it was announced that an agreement had been signed that 50% of Swiss-registered Ilim Holding, which owned more than 75% plus 1 share of Ilim Pulp's pulp and paper assets, would be sold to the American forestry company International Paper. WhereinIlim Pulpa's timber processing assets were not included in the deal . Later, in 2007, Ilim's timber processing assets were spun off into a separate company.Ilim Timber Industry ».
Today, the official owners of Ilim are the Swiss company Ilim Holding, equal shares of which are owned, on the one hand, by the AmericanInternational Paper and, on the other hand, Russian shareholders (including Chairman of the Board of Directors of the group Zakhar Davidovich Smushkin, members of the Board of Directors Boris and Mikhail Zingarevich, Leonid Erukhimovich). General Director is American Paul Herbert .
Zakhar Davidovich Smushkin Leonid Erukhimovich Paul Herbert
It is difficult to say for sure which of them is specifically responsible for Dmitry Anatolyevich’s “small share.” Be that as it may, it was Mikhail Zingarevich, a member of the board of directors of the company, at a charity auction at the Christmas fair in St. Petersburg in 2010 bought for 51 million rubles a photograph of the Tobolsk Kremlin taken by Dmitry Medvedev .
IN Lately Ilim, like Medvedev’s personal wallet, is gradually withdrawing funds abroad. Moreover, the money is provided by the state-owned Sberbank, which finances the offshore investments of the Russian President in the US economy and others. developed countries. Recently, Ilim Timber closed a deal to purchase 100% of Tolleson Lumber Company, the newspaper reported"Vedomosti"
. Tolleson is one of the largest independent companies in the southern United States. A family-owned company founded in Georgia in 1919, Tolleson operates two sawmills in Perry and Preston, each producing 450,000 cubic meters. m of lumber per year. Tolleson sawmills are large for their region; the average capacity of local enterprises does not exceed 150,000 cubic meters. m
Such an asset became the first “forest” investment Medvedev-Zingarevich-Smushkina-Eruhimov icha in America, the deal will increase Timber's capacity by almost a quarter - to 3.9 million cubic meters. m of lumber per year. The parties did not disclose the purchase price, but Tolleson could cost $50-65 million. It is assumed that the sales markets for the new assets, in addition to the United States, will be China and Japan, which will soon need a large number of building materials to restore destroyed infrastructure.
The situation when, through Sberbank and the Zingareviches, the Russian budget is transferred to a foreign business that is associated with Dmitry Medvedev is quite typical. As the site's correspondents wrote: "Fontanka.ru" , in August 2010, with the support of Sberbank, the Zingarevichs formalized a deal to acquire two factories in Germany. The enterprises, for which the former owners managed to earn about 100 million euros, in their total capacity provide the new owners with about 2 million cubic meters of building materials per year. According to Ilim Timber, the factories mainly serve the markets of China and the Middle East.
In native In St. Petersburg, the Zingarevich brothers, in addition toscandalouscharities are known for their development projects. Their interests include reconstruction of Vosstaniya Square and Konyushennaya Square. In addition, firms controlled by businessmen received a number of historical buildings from the city last year - and Champ de Mars, 1, letter A; Konyushennaya Square, 1, letter A; on Nevsky Prospekt, 7-9; embankment of the Moika River, 26, - for reconstruction for hotel accommodation.
From the same place grows Chief Executive Officer of the Skolkovo Innovation Center Michael (Yosef Michael ben Moshe) Moshiashvili, Managing Director of Ilim Pulp Enterprise Holding. 37 years old, native of Kutaisi. Georgian Jew, Jewish by religion. One of the leaders of the business club of the Russian Jewish Congress (REC). Former top manager of Deutsche Bank and Rosavia airlines, chairman of the board of directors of the investment bank United Financial Group (UFG), former employee of the World Bank, Vneshtorgbank of the Russian Federation and head of the treasury of the Yukos oil company. Speaks Hebrew, English, German.
Momiashvili on the right, wearing glasses, talks with a rabbi
Well, this whole story, as well as the transfer of the capital of the largest timber processor to the jurisdiction of the United States and the specificity in the choice of partners, largely explain the close friendship of the Russian President with Washington and his diligence in eating hamburgers with the President Obama. The main thing in this matter is not to choke.
Additional materials used rospres, thanks for the tip
What kind of people, and under guard!
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is one of the creators of the largest corruption schemes, according to the Navalny Foundation. “We found all the residences in Russia and abroad, found all the vineyards and damn elusive yachts and established where and who sailed on them,” say the authors of a new FBK investigation published on March 2. And they conclude: “He’s not Dimon for you. He’s a serious, corrupt guy.”
What cases are interesting to justice?
Investigations by the Anti-Corruption Foundation could worsen crime statistics in Russia. The website fbk.info allegedly published fraudulent schemes for theft from the treasury, documents on the illegal acquisition of plots of land, on the construction of dachas in security zones and expensive purchases of senior officials. But Russian justice is busy pursuing cases against Navalny himself.
Corruption in Russia - the most high-profile cases
For abuse of power
In just 11 months of 2016, 28.4 thousand corruption-related crimes were identified in Russia, reports the Prosecutor General’s Office. Of these, more than 10 thousand are receiving and giving bribes. The amounts of extortion and abuse are sometimes measured in millions of dollars. 15 thousand cases of corruption were brought to court over the entire past year, which is almost 3 thousand more than in 2013.
Corruption in Russia - the most high-profile cases
Case for 2 million
The head of the Russian Ministry of Economic Development, Alexey Ulyukaev, was detained red-handed on the night of November 15, 2016. He was accused of extorting and receiving a bribe of $2 million from Rosneft representatives. According to Investigative Committee, the minister demanded money for assistance in Rosneft’s purchase of a share of the state-owned Bashneft company (50.8%). Ulyukaev does not admit his guilt.
Corruption in Russia - the most high-profile cases
General with a billion
General of the Federal Security Service in the Caucasus Gennady Lopyrev was detained in November 2016 on charges of receiving bribes on an especially large scale. The media reported that Lopyrev’s arrest was connected with fraud in government procurement, with the distribution of sites for the construction of Olympic facilities, and that 1 billion rubles were found in Lopyrev’s apartment. Sochi Mayor Anatoly Pakhomov is a witness in the case.
Corruption in Russia - the most high-profile cases
A real colonel
The deputy head of the "T" department of the anti-corruption headquarters of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Colonel Dmitry Zakharchenko, turned out to be the owner of currency totaling 8.5 billion rubles. In September 2016, another 300 million euros were discovered in his family’s foreign accounts. At the same time, Zakharchenko’s official income over the past few years has not exceeded 3 million rubles. Origin of large Money The colonel is being investigated.
Corruption in Russia - the most high-profile cases
The case of a watch collector
A trial is underway in Sakhalin in the case of ex-governor Alexander Khoroshavin, accused of receiving bribes worth 500 million rubles and creating a criminal group that extorted money from entrepreneurs. Investigators found 190 watches worth 600 million rubles in Khoroshavin’s home collection. Jewelry and 700 million rubles. 6 cars, 4 apartments, a residential building and land ex-governor.
Corruption in Russia - the most high-profile cases
Should I steal more?
In August 2015, ex-official of the Russian Ministry of Defense Evgenia Vasilyeva, sentenced to 5 years, was released from the colony. 3 months earlier, the court found her guilty of fraud with department assets. The head of the Ministry of Defense, Anatoly Serdyukov, lost his post, but his case was closed. And in October 2016, he joined the board of Rostec. It’s not for nothing that they say in Russia, “in order not to sit in jail, you have to steal more.”
Corruption in Russia - the most high-profile cases
What did the Panama Papers reveal?
People from Vladimir Putin’s entourage were among the clients of the Panamanian company Mossack Fonseca, which registers companies in offshore companies. These are financier Yuri Kovalchuk, who is called the president's personal banker, the president's friend cellist Sergei Roldugin and dozens of officials - owners of foreign companies. The Panama Papers showed the scale of shadow activities of politicians from 50 countries.
Corruption in Russia - the most high-profile cases
The situation with corruption is not changing
At the end of 2016, Russia was next to Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Nepal - in 131st out of 176 places in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) ranking prepared by Transparency International. The Russian Federation, as in 2015, received 29 points out of 100. 1st place and the most low level corruption - in Denmark and New Zealand, Germany - in 10th place. At the bottom of the list are South Sudan and Somalia.
Corruption in Russia - the most high-profile cases
"Hunting at the shooting range"
Transparency International calls the fight against corruption in the Russian Federation a hunt that only resembles a real one: “It’s shooting from a prepared gun at pre-arranged targets.” Suspicion is raised by criminal cases that look like eliminating competitors. For example, the case of Minister Ulyukaev or the ex-head of the Kirov region Nikita Belykh, who was detained in June 2016 while transferring 400 thousand dollars to him.
Corruption in Russia - the most high-profile cases
The rampant embezzlement is not forgiven
Opinion polls show that many Russians consider high-profile cases more like demonstration actions than a real fight against corruption. 26% of those surveyed by the Levada Center placed “full” responsibility for corruption on Vladimir Putin, 33% - “to a large extent.” So the high rating of the Russian president does not mean that citizens forgive him for his rampant bribery and embezzlement.
They say that power and money are identical concepts. Vladimir Putin has been in power for 18 years - so how much money does he have? Both domestic economists and global financiers who compile the Forbes list are trying to answer this question.
Official income statement
During the election campaign, all presidential candidates published income declarations. It was Vladimir Putin's modest declaration that attracted the most attention. In accordance with data released by the Central Election Commission, over 6 years the president earned 38,528,817 rubles. Sources of income include: salary of the head of state, interest from bank accounts, military pension. 13.8 million rubles are stored in 13 official presidential accounts.
The presidential real estate is represented by two apartments (in St. Petersburg and Moscow) and a garage. Moreover, the capital apartment was transferred to Vladimir Putin for indefinite use by the Moscow authorities.
Also included in the declaration were two rare Volga cars, a Niva car, and a Skif trailer.
Many Russian political scientists and economists believe that this declaration does not reflect Putin's real financial situation.
Evaluation by Stanislav Belkovsky
When assessing the personal finances of the Russian President, the opinion most often cited is Stanislav Belkovsky, a former Kremlin adviser. In 2007, he gave an interview to the English publication The Guardian, in which he estimated Putin’s fortune at $40 billion. He substantiated his conclusions with the information he had about the president’s shares in large companies in the oil industry. According to Belkovsky, the president owns shares of Surgutneftegaz in the amount of 37%, he owns 4.5% of Gazprom shares and a large stake in the international commodity trader Gunvor.
The US Treasury conducted its own investigation, and also noted Putin's connection with Gunvor: he invested money in the company, and may have access to its funds. However, representatives of the Gunvor group deny information that the Russian President is their shareholder.
Belkovsky called the announced amount minimal, emphasizing that no one knows the maximum and suggested that the president has a shadow business that the expert is not aware of.
A few years later, in 2012, Stanislav Belkovsky gave a new assessment of Vladimir Putin’s condition. This time the figure was announced at 70 billion dollars. He came to this conclusion based on information from confidential sources close to the president.
William Browder's opinion
William Browder, a major international financier of American origin, headed the investment company Hermitage Capital. This fund has been one of the leading participants in the Russian investment market for about 10 years. Was closely involved in securities of Surgutneftegaz, Sberbank, Gazprom, RAO UES.
Browder has first-hand knowledge of corruption and fraud in Russian authorities authorities. For attempting to expose him he was expelled from the country. In an interview with International Business Times, William Browder estimates Vladimir Putin's wealth as of 2018 at $200 billion and calls him the richest man in the world.
Browder believes that these funds are placed in Swiss banks, offshore companies, and hedge funds. These assets are managed by the president's trusted people.
Why is Putin not included in the Forbes ranking?
Forbes magazine annually compiles a list of billionaires, but Vladimir Putin has never been included in this prestigious list. Even with the most “modest” of the announced amounts of $40 billion, he could enter the TOP 10 billionaires. And if we focus on the figure of $200 billion, then it would top the list by a wide margin. Jeff Bezos, who currently tops the Forbes ranking, has a net worth of $105 billion.
The fact is that the compilers of the rating exclude from the list members of royal families and politicians who received wealth as a result of being in power. Representatives of the magazine were unable to obtain reliable confirmation that Vladimir Putin has personal assets exceeding $1 billion. Russian government attorneys declined to answer questions about whether expensive gifts such as the Olympia yacht were the property of the president or the state.
Sources of the Russian President's wealth
Russian businessman Sergei Kolesnikov spoke about the current scheme in an interview with the BBC. A group of leading Russian oligarchs created a special fund intended for bribes to senior government officials, including the president. As part of this scheme, Putin has access not only to Russian corporate finances, but also to the personal fortunes of the country's richest people.
Thus, capital was formed, placed through nominees in offshore companies. One of these “guardians” of the presidential fortune is considered to be a cellist and best friend Putin Sergei Roldugin. His name appears in the Panama Papers, documents from Mossack Fonseca, an offshore company management firm. Rodlugin, being a professional musician, manages billions of dollars in assets and owns shares in many Russian companies. At the same time, he emphasizes that he is not a businessman.
