The relationship between vast private wealth and state power in Russia is often misread as a simple shakedown. The usual story goes that a weak state got captured by greedy tycoons, or that a strong state crushed them entirely. The…
The Narrative Assembly Line: How Russian Think Tanks Manufacture Regime Expertise
In late 2023, the Russian International Affairs Council—RIAC, a think tank with a polished website, English-language output, and a stable of scholars who hold degrees from European universities—published a report called Russia’s Economic Sovereignty Under Sanctions: Adaptation Strategies for 2024–2026.…
The Gilded Cage: How Oligarchs Prop Up the Kremlin’s System
In the smoke-choked private rooms of Moscow’s elite, a quiet transaction takes place every day. It’s not a business deal in the traditional sense. It’s the exchange of fealty for a license to exist. The Russian oligarch—often painted in the…
The Gilded Cage: How Oligarchs Keep the Russian Regime Standing
There’s a particular kind of quiet that settles over the Rublyovka highway on a winter evening. Behind the tall fences and guarded gates, Russia’s ultra-rich—almost exclusively men—are not simply enjoying the spoils of a free market. They are locked into…
The Gilded Cage: How Russia’s Tycoons Prop the System—and Are Trapped by It
In the West, the word “oligarch” usually paints a picture of dirty money, London mansions, and superyachts. But inside Russia, the bond between massive private fortunes and the Kremlin is something else entirely—something more deliberate and far more cynical. This…