A morally #corrupt high-profile Russian billionaires because of the success of football club Chelsea FC, Roman Abramovich was sanctioned later than some others, because he is less obviously influential than other #Putin allies.
2/8 His influence in the Kremlin is limited, he is more #Putin ‘s bitch than his friend, but is tolerated by Mr Putin (as long as he pays). Abramovich has made corrupted money out of the relationship, through #putin awarding him contracts for the #FIFA 2018 World Cup in Russia.
3/8 #Abramovich denies having close ties to Mr Putin or the Kremlin, but the UK portion of his estimated $12.4bn fortune is now frozen. At the start of the war he was forced to put Chelsea up for sale for £3bn. and his £150m house in London's Kensington Palace Gardens in London.
4/8 #Abramovich profited off Russians in the 1990’ during Boris Yeltsin's presidency, buying the oil company Sibneft at a corrupt undervaluation. His assets include the third-longest yacht in the world, Eclipse and another mega-yacht, Solaris.
5/6 In 2018 he did not renew his UK visa, and has instead been using his newly acquired #Israeli passport to travel.
#Abramovich is now he is banned from entering the UK, and is stuck in #Russia and #Israel for the rest of his corrupt life.
This is a summary of a detailed report from the BBC - it is available on this link: Russia oligarchs: The mega-rich men facing global sanctions bbc.co.uk/news/uk-605930…
An excerpt from an investigation into the corrupt awarding of #Portugese citizenship:
Usually, as Portugal’s citizenship application portal makes explicit, candidates can expect to wait 24 to 29 months, but Abramovich waited only nine weeks from the February date the Porto board flagged his application for Lurdes Serrano to the time he was granted a “naturalized citizen birth certificate” on April 30. A few weeks later, Lurdes Serrano confirmed to the board that Abramovich’s citizenship had been granted: “I inform you that the respective nationality registration has already been carried out.”
A rare surviving billionaire from Russia’s “gangster capitalism” era who still retained a direct line to Vladimir Putin now possessed EU citizenship. Even his own local lawyer told VF she had been “surprised” at the speed. In response to questions from VF, the Portuguese government agency that oversees that central registry office said “disciplinary procedures” were ongoing.
It was ultimately Alexei Navalny—the Russian opposition leader currently in a Siberian jail—who directed global attention to Abramovich’s citizenship in December 2021, shortly after the Portuguese press first confirmed it. He criticized Portuguese authorities for “carrying suitcases of money” and wrote on his Twitter account that the oligarch had “finally managed to find a country where you can give some bribes and make some semi-official and official payments to end up in the EU.” Santos Silva, the Portuguese foreign minister who back in 2020 had advocated for changes to the law, pushed back against Navalny’s claims in a press conference.
“The idea that Portuguese public sector employees carry suitcases of money is insulting,” Santos Silva said, insisting the allegation was “not true. And as we all know, when criticism has no basis, it also has no pertinence.” (VF has seen no evidence that Porto’s board members or civil servants working in the Conservatória dos Registos Centrais received any payment beyond the standard processing fee.)
A spokesperson clarified to VF that Santos Silva had not meant to imply that Abramovich’s application procedure was legal, however; around the time of Litvak’s arrest in March last year, Santos Silva asserted that action was needed to keep the law from being “manipulated”—pervertida. The Portuguese government, meanwhile, has acknowledged that Abramovich will not lose his nationality as a result of EU sanctions, nor can he be prevented from visiting Portugal (barring an extraordinary outcome from the Litvak investigation).
On russian telegram: It’s a game of clans, mafia style. With a Tesla from Elon Musk to boot.
"Roman Starovoit was 100% a man of the Rotenbergs. They fought for his position and freedom. And Andrei Nikitin, who replaced Starovoit as Minister of Transport, is 100% a man of the Kovalchuks. They defeated the Rotenbergs in the fight for the Ministry of Transport and, at the same time, Starovoit's freedom."
1/2
Its reported that employees of the central office of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation are working at the site of Roman Starovoit's so-called “suicide”.
Starovoit's Tesla, compliments of Elon Musk - is being examined by forensic experts (FSB Crime Covering Department), from the Main Directorate of the Criminal Investigation Department. All local security officials have been sent "to smoke, and occupy themselves."
See the next tweet for Beefy’s deep dive on the Game of Clans in russia 👇
On russian Telegram (which is monitored by the FSB): A russian publishes a rant.
He will be disappeared.
“What angers me most is precisely this kind of brazen and pseudo-humanistic lie”
1/6
If Russia cared about people and not territories, it would have simply resettled those who wanted to onto its lands, which are more than 90% empty, even before the war. It would not have mobilized the residents of the “new regions”, grinding them up in meaty assaults.
2/6
If Russia doesn't need the territories, then why is it clinging to them with its teeth and not ready to give them up in exchange for peace and the restoration of the rights of the Russian-speaking population , as the propaganda screams?
3/6
On russian Telegram: Putin fudges the housing crises, with a Trump styled alternative reality
Mutko muddies muddies muddies
Vitaly "let me speak from my heart" Mutko met with Putin today to discuss housing issues in Russia. And there (spoiler) everything is extremely bad.
1/1
Mortgages have already been recognized as a "dead" way to buy housing even in the State Duma. In 2024, mortgages fell by half. And the debt increased by 63%, which became a historical record. Only the elite of the real estate market, where prices don’t matter - is afloat.
2/2
Putin believes that Russia has everything to fix the issues with housing provision. He claims building materials are available, science is developing, and the process is well organized. The president clearly does not understand what is happening in the real estate market.
3/3
The US dumbfuckery on tariffs is going to result in a catastrophe that no-one has factored in.
I have published threads on the importance of Rare Earth Elements - and I have warned that China’s grip on REE’s is the USA’s most significant weakness in any dispute with China.
1/6
Currently the United States imports 78% of its rare earth requirements from China. When China shuts the US out of supply - this will result in a catastrophe that will be an economic apocalypse.
2/6
In the event of a massive deterioration or even conflict between the US and China, the supply of REE’s would end overnight which would have a massive, possible catastrophic impact on the global economy.
On russian Telegram: Putin can’t hide the conscription in the outlying regions anymore, now it’s a free for all in Moscow and St Petersburg.
Putin signed a decree on the start of the spring draft into the army. It will take place from April 1 to July 15.
1/4
160 thousand people are subject to conscription. From this draft, electronic summonses will be introduced in Russia; if a conscript receives one, he will it will not be possible to leave the country.
2/4
In addition:
— if you fail to appear in response to a summons, you can forget about taking out loans, driving a car, buying real estate, and even registering as an individual entrepreneur;
3/4