Thread by @pevchikh

There is an elephant in the negotiation room. Its name is Roman Abramovich. Allow me to give you some context on who this guy actually is and how his participation in the Ukraine-Russia peace talks should be viewed.

It seems like we are dealing with a case of mass hypnosis or general memory loss. People are genuinely wondering: is Abramovich a good guy now? Is he a superhero who’s going to save us all?

There is nothing tricky about the Abramovich situation. There is nothing to discuss or wonder about. I encourage you all to use a simple and straightforward rule. If Putin likes something - it’s shit. You don’t want it, you should stay away. And Putin likes Abramovich.

Roman Abramovich is the reason why Putin is still in power. He plays a crucial role in sustaining Putin’s regime for the past 22 years. Abramovich is Putin's ultimate wallet, the ultimate source of bribes, a person who can hold and control strategic assets on Putin’s behalf.

This is how oligarchy in Russia works. Many years ago Putin sat all the oligarchs at the table and said: if you give up all of your political ambitions, I will give you a way to enrich yourself. Knock yourselves out, take as much money as you want, but do not question my power.

And that’s how it’s been for the past 20 years. They stay silent and uninvolved, and in return they get to become the world’s richest people. Earning their fortunes in Russia and living abroad. And of course, they have to share with Putin through kickbacks or direct bribes.

Let me illustrate this. In 1997 Abramovich privatised a state owned-oil company Sibneft. It was done at a fictitious auction with fake competition. Many years later Abramovich himself, under oath, called this auction a sham. The price he paid sounds hilarious now - $100 million.

A few years later, in 2005, during Putin’s second presidential term, it was decided that the state (Gazprom) wanted Sibneft back. This was the time when Putin got obsessed with consolidating everything under Gazprom. Abramovich sold Sibneft back to the state for $13 billion.

Buying something from the state for $100 million and selling it back 7 years later for $13 billion. That’s it. That's the whole thing. The whole business model. That’s how Abramovich, who was once the richest man in the world, got this title.

The second part of the deal was the bribes. Abramovich was one of the key early sponsors of Putin’s Palace. Sergei Kolesnikov, the whistleblower responsible for managing the scheme, said that Abramovich ‘donated’ $203m. Part of it was subsequently spent on building the Palace.

Putin’s first super yacht (Olympia) was also gifted by Abramovich. Another whistleblower D.Skarga told BBC that the yacht was paid for by Abramovich ($35m) and transferred to an offshore firm; the running costs were paid by the state budget

The only reason why we know about these two bribes is because the two whistleblowers were brave enough to talk. Both are now in exile and wanted in Russia, by the way. Imagine how much more there is to discover. Twenty years’ worth of bribery.

But there is an above the surface part as well. When praising Abramovich now, in 2022, please keep in mind that he was once personally appointed by Putin as the governor of the Chukotka region and actively supported the abolition of direct governor elections.

That he, until very recently, owned Channel One alongside with the government. It’s the ultimate source of diabolical Putin’s propaganda, the main brainwashing machine that for twenty years has been telling lies and fake news to millions of Russians.

You can turn it on right now and check. It’s the modern take on the Thousand Hills Radio. 24/7 hate speech about every Ukrainian being a nazi and Putin being about to liberate the world by bombing maternity wards (where Ukrainian nazis are hiding).

Abramovich owned this propaganda hellhole for almost 20 years. Throughout the first invasion of Ukraine, throughout the annexation of Crimea. Abramovich was the channel’s owner when it claimed that MH17 was shot down by a Ukrainian fighter jet. And he had no problem with it.

Abramovich sold his shares recently. Guess who was the buyer? Putin’s best buddy Kovalchuk and the National Media Group, whose Chairwoman just so happens to be Putin’s gymnast mistress Alina Kabaeva.

Roman Abramovich is the most faithful and devoted of Putin’s oligarchs. His loyalties are crystal clear. He unconditionally supports whatever Putin does for two decades. Even now, during the war, Abramovich is there for the president, accepting and saluting to his orders.

This is what we know from his actions, twenty five years of them. And that’s why I cannot understand how on earth it is possible to suggest that Abramovich is a good guy all of a sudden. What is it based on? Has something changed? I didn’t get the memo.

Has Abramovich said something publicly? Made a statement? Gave an interview? All I see is him hanging around the Russian delegation in Turkey and the Russian officials being perfectly happy about it. This isn’t a good sign.

The best thing I found was a press release stating that proceeds from the sale of Chelsea FC would go to some sort of fund “for the benefit of all victims of the war in Ukraine”. I guess we should thank Abramovich for courageously calling it a war and not a ‘special operation’.

War doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s not like rain or thunder that occur naturally. SOMEONE STARTED THIS WAR. And this someone is Vladimir Putin, a longtime boss of Roman Abramovich and his pal until we hear otherwise.

I'm a firm believer in active repentance. I’ll happily retract my words once we see Abramovich publicly act against Putin’s will: call him for what he is (a thief and a war criminal) or do 'the unthinkable' and demand to free Navalny. As for now, it looks like a PR stunt to me.