this post was submitted on 07 Jul 2025
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Vladimir Putin’s government has launched an aggressive campaign to nationalize the assets of Konstantin Strukov, one of Russia’s richest men and the owner of the country’s largest gold mining company. The move marks a sharp escalation in the Kremlin’s efforts to extract wealth from within its own elite as the financial toll of the war in Ukraine deepens.

Strukov, whose fortune is estimated at over $3.5 billion, is the founder of Yuzhuralzoloto—a gold empire built over decades with strong ties to the Kremlin. But on July 5, his private jet was grounded by Russian authorities as it prepared to leave for Turkey. His passport was reportedly seized, and the aircraft barred from departing.

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[–] iAvicenna@lemmy.world 23 points 2 days ago (1 children)

That's what you get for siding with fascists. People will never learn.

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[–] arc99@lemmy.world 45 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Soon these oligarchs won't even own a window to jump out of

[–] Tja@programming.dev 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

The government will provide one, they are generous like that.

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Just like Ancient Rome. The dictator needs cash so he murders the rich people who aren’t his friends and takes their money

[–] JeeBaiChow@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

So when do the oligarchs learn? How much longer do they accept the status quo?

[–] IndustryStandard@lemmy.world 14 points 2 days ago

The billionaires?

[–] bytesonbike@discuss.online 214 points 3 days ago (9 children)

Billionaires siding with dictators thinking they'll be protected?

[–] pelespirit@sh.itjust.works 124 points 3 days ago (2 children)

It's funny to me that they think they'll be special, every single time. "They won't throw me out the window for my fortune!"

[–] Nougat@fedia.io 52 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Leopards Throwing Out Of Windows Party

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[–] Saleh@feddit.org 33 points 3 days ago (3 children)

Well, in the case of Nazi Germany it worked spectacularly well. Many of Germanys most rich people are inheritors to industrial fortunes that got unimaginably rich with selling weapons to the Nazi army and using forced labor from the concentration camps. The families Quandt/Klatten (BMW) and Porsche/Piech (Porsche,VW, Audi...) come to mind directly. The Krupps are also still in the game although they have gambled a lot of money away over the past decades

[–] boonhet@sopuli.xyz 10 points 2 days ago

Never ask Mr. Kühne where his family's fortune came from, or what their most popular cargo was in the 40s.

[–] NewNewAugustEast@lemmy.zip 12 points 2 days ago (1 children)

It is worth mentioning that in the case of krupps they made a lot of money selling arms in WWI and they purchased newspapers to sell the war to increase profits.

Own all the newspapers... Propaganda... Seems familiar.

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[–] dangling_cat@piefed.blahaj.zone 26 points 3 days ago

Nah. They all play this game; they all know the risk. It’s all about gaining leverage and the correct alignment at the right time.

He probably knows it’s happening and sacrifices himself for his family and assets.

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[–] gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de 14 points 2 days ago (1 children)

tax the rich! (slight /s)

what i'm wondering is:

who exactly wanted this war? i.e., i guess it was not a single-person decision. probably a number of oligarchs are behind it because they think they can profit from either the conflict or the outcome of it.

everybody knows that wars are hella expensive. i guess most wars are decided by economic factors, i.e. who can stay solvent longer. what did the oligarchs think would happen to their wealth due to the war?

[–] ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 days ago

Putin's power draws from his adversaries and foreign policy. He is very weak domestically, mostly at the behest of the oligarchs that run the entire domestic policy show.

Putin muscling around internally usually has to do with the oligarch's stance on foreign policy or the other oligarchs are wanting to eat one of their own.

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 147 points 3 days ago (14 children)

This is a pretty good example of why I say even millinoaires and billionaires should support a functional democractic society with taxation and regulation and social safety nets. Its the old penny wise and pound foolish. Getting a sliver more and a sliver more and then you lose it all because the rule of law was thrown out long ago. It won't necessarily take that long to. At a certain point it could happen at any time. Maybe it will. Maybe it won't.

[–] SoftestSapphic@lemmy.world 66 points 3 days ago (1 children)

This all depends on the people born into wealth being reasonable people.

Most are unhinged psychopaths or nepo babies with too much ego.

Which is why wealth needs to be forcefully redistributed, they won't do it voluntarily.

[–] Triasha@lemmy.world 14 points 2 days ago

Wealth is actually being redistributed quite a bit in Russia right now. The oligarchs are paying for the war and "the people" are getting much higher wages either in the military or because of labor shortages.

It's not great, what with all the death and destruction. But Russians gini coefficient is going down fast.

[–] burgerpocalyse@lemmy.world 32 points 3 days ago (2 children)

a functional democratic society would not have billionaires and hopefully millionaires neither

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[–] vivalapivo@lemmy.today 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Rich people live under the fear of losing it all. As sharing is synonymous with losing to them, no one wants it and everyone is caught in this loop.

[–] grrgyle@slrpnk.net 9 points 2 days ago (5 children)

I'm becoming convinced it's an actual mental disease, or at least grossly maladaptive

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[–] doo@sh.itjust.works 32 points 2 days ago

What a great way to show the inefficiency of sanctions! /s

[–] oppy1984@lemdro.id 40 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (3 children)

Somebody didn't watch Rules for Rulers, keep your elite happy or they'll come together and turn on you.

Fingers crossed.

[–] thatKamGuy@sh.itjust.works 24 points 2 days ago (1 children)

You remember those old “In Soviet Russia” backwards jokes? It’s like that, but unironically.

Putin has consolidated power to the point that he doesn’t serve at the behest of Russian billionaires; they only exist due to his whims - and they can cease to exist just as quickly.

‘Blowout’ by Rachel Maddow touches on this, it’s an interesting read/listen.

[–] Nighed@feddit.uk 8 points 2 days ago (1 children)

They are refering to a YouTube video I think.

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[–] finitebanjo@lemmy.world 34 points 2 days ago (1 children)

And let this be a lesson to US Billionaires.

[–] Tryenjer@lemmy.world 13 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

If most of them are as smart and lucid as Musk, they won't learn anything.

US billionaires think they can control Trump, and that's very likely true. The worst is yet to come for these rich guys when someone who can truly reverse the power dynamics and thus rule them with an iron fist, as well as the common people, takes the throne.

[–] finitebanjo@lemmy.world 12 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Trump cannot be controlled, everything is purely transactional with him. The moment he gains more from taking businesses by force, thats what he will do.

Trust and deals have no meaning to him. This is a theif without honor.

[–] JcbAzPx@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

He can be controlled for as long as you have access. He bends to the will of the nearest person like a weed blowing in the wind.

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[–] newthrowaway20@lemmy.world 75 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (21 children)

The USA elite should take notice. It'll happen to them too. Trump will ruin them if things get between himself and them.

[–] PalmTreeIsBestTree@lemmy.world 29 points 3 days ago (4 children)

It’s all ready happening between him and Musk unless that’s all kayfabe

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[–] some_guy 44 points 3 days ago (4 children)

Strukov’s company has denied the incident entirely, stating that he was in Moscow on the day in question and calling the reports “disinformation.” But court documents confirm that a judge had already banned him and his family from leaving the country, and government agencies moved quickly to enforce it.

I will now recommend the Sad Oligarch podcast. Short series on the mysterious deaths of Russian oligarchs in the last few years.

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[–] ddplf@szmer.info 62 points 3 days ago (1 children)

It's funny because $3.5bln is nothing when trying to cover the war effort, but it'll spark a massive distrust in the Kremlin's inner circle, which is basically the only group of people that can realistically threaten Putin's very life.

[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 33 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (4 children)

I'm still waiting for these fuckers to finally grow some balls.

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[–] skozzii@lemmy.ca 7 points 2 days ago (1 children)

The Putin giveth and the Putin taketh away.

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[–] WiseScorpio@lemmy.world 24 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Strukov is about to suffer the effects of defenestration.

[–] McDropout@lemmy.world 23 points 2 days ago

It’s giving Elon-Trump vibes

[–] pawnfuture@lemmy.world 33 points 3 days ago

This is the oligarchy that American technocrats want to recreate at home. Owning things is dependent on being alive. Maybe paying a couple percent extra on taxes is worth it.

[–] MushuChupacabra@lemmy.world 34 points 3 days ago (12 children)

Conversely, if Putin falls out a window, maybe they can keep their business.

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[–] hansolo@lemmy.today 19 points 3 days ago

Ooooh, gringo broligarchs, cast your eyes upon all the fucks left to give, and see that $Trump wallet may also be empty.

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