The Russian economy is in the hands of five people, who were engaged in the right sport in the right city and with the right person: President Putin.
The players were lined up on the ice field, while the commentator solemnly announced the name of each. For shining helmets one could see the faces, but fancy hockey Jersey concealed appearing stomach, short height and the stooped posture of some members of this extraordinary team. And then a loudspeaker announced: Vladimirrr Putin! And the whole stadium roared, although the audience knew that in this match will meet with a professional player. But it should be noted that all these sixty-year-old men like to win.
This scene is only possible in Russia, it was possible to observe in October last year on the day of the 63rd anniversary of the Russian President. Together with Vladimir Putin played such hockey legends such as Vyacheslav Fetisov and Pavel Bure, and the other team losing with a gap of five goals, was part of Putin’s closest friends who was fond of sports, especially judo and Sambo.
Among them you could see the millionaire Gennady Timchenko and Arkady Rotenberg. Look at them with envy, and not just because they are playing against Putin. Timchenko, the head of the hockey club SKA, the same age as the President. He is in 62nd place in the list of the richest Russians according to Forbes magazine. Owns a private investment group Volga specializing in investments in energy, transport and infrastructure assets. Smiling Arkady Rotenberg is one of the most influential businessmen of Russia. He’s a year older than Putin and with his brother Boris has “Stroygazmontazh” is the largest Russian company involved in the construction of gas pipelines and power plants. His fortune is estimated at one billion euros.
To get here, both had pretty sweat, but not in the classroom and on the wrestling Mat. Timchenko and the Rotenberg brothers, and their old friend Vladimir Putin, is fond of judo and can boast that in his youth sometimes put on the blades of the President. Rotenberg was once the sparring partner of Putin, and once the latter was in the Kremlin, the fate of him constantly smiling.
Judo club “yavara-Neva”, whose CEO is Arkady Rotenberg, has superseded almost all others, and the Rothenberg for the month climbed 17 positions in the list of Forbes magazine.
Most of their capital Rotenberg and Timchenko have earned on government contracts. The state assigns Arkady Rotenberg many contracts. Decisive for Rotenberg was 2008, when he acquired a number of companies “Gazprom”. Following this, Gazprom began to make a lot of orders to these enterprises. Money poured in, as from heaven, and Rotenberg, who before the arrival of Putin to power were engaged in small and medium enterprises and promotion of judo, expertly collected them.
“Five owners” of the country
Timchenko, who has also provided many services to the President, is the third. Fourth — a young businessman Kirill Shamalov, about whom many say that he is married to one of the daughters of Putin. And the fifth is Igor Rotenberg, son of Arkady. Only the second in the list of five favorites can boast that rose, almost not having any relation to the President. His name is Leonid Mikhelson. Although it is not included in the nearest environment of Putin, but is a partner Timchenko. As they say, is all their own.
Putin is looking for reliable, trusted people and chooses them not by the color of their eyes. These five are considered “masters”. Nina Jobe (Jobe Nina), expert on corruption, do not agree with this definition: “They are not the owners of the Russian economy, they only temporarily manage with the support of the state, which is its real owner,” she said in an interview with El Confidencial. In the end, “you can take away at any time, if the state so wishes. Recent cases — proof”.
Meritocracy or meritocratic, upon which the entire political system of the United States, is completely absent in Russia. Lecturer at new York University, analyst mark Galeotti (Mark Galeotti) calls them the Russian “judocracy”. They need to Putin, because in the system of personal government major projects must be under the personal control of the President. As the coach said Putin on judo Anatoly Rakhlin, “the President is looking for reliable, trusted people and chooses them not by the color of their eyes.” Rakhlin died in 2013. Putin having a black belt, came to his funeral to pay tribute to the man who contributed to its formation.
The name Rotenberg and Timchenko you can often hear during the tenders, which sometimes even no competition. “They are not really good businessmen, the President had appointed them” — outraged a few months ago, opposition leader Alexei Navalny. It is this tireless fighter against corruption in Russia has recently filed a lawsuit against Putin in connection with the “conflict of interest” and the allocation of budgetary funds of the company, with which is associated his son-in-law. The claim was rejected.
Asphalt for the price of caviar
Although the media ignore this kind of abuse, discontent still breaks out. Recently, the Russian government decided to impose drivers of heavy trucks tax for driving on Russian roads. This measure, adopted in a time when people are beginning to experience rising prices, has already elicited protests not so peculiar to Russia. The tax collection company was charged by Igor Rotenberg. Her posters truckers are calling this tax “the Rothenberg collection”.
The Rotenberg brothers undertook the construction of infrastructure for the football world Cup. The cost of building one of the roads was so high that, according to one newspaper, it would be cheaper to cover it with caviar. A similar incident took place with the brothers Rotenberg in 2013, when they built infrastructure for the Sochi Olympics. Then the cost of building one of the roads was so high that, according to a Russian newspaper, would be cheaper to cover it with caviar.
“There is no doubt that they are the five masters of economy”, — said the Deputy of the state Duma Dmitry Gudkov. And it for anybody not news. However, now that 82% of Russians believe that the country is in crisis, the situation became less comfortable for the ruling circles. “The authorities are not interested in the deterioration of the situation”, — said the MP, adding that “we need to improve conditions for doing business and ensure legal security of business activities”.
The list of those who benefited from what were doing right sport in the right city and the right person, not the end of millionaires that were at the top. Victor Zolotov, another partner of Putin in judo, he headed the presidential security Service. Vasily Shestakov climbed from the coach on judo to one of the chief persons of the party “Unity”, the first political party that promoted Putin to power and later became the party “United Russia”. Now he is the Deputy of the state Duma from party “Fair Russia” and initiatives against food with empty calories. He is not a millionaire, but just a rich man.
