Vladimir Putin: Under Putin, the uber-wealthy Russians known as ‘oligarchs’ are still rich but far less powerful

When Vladimir Putin came to power in 2000, the outside world viewed those Russians known as “oligarchs” as men whose vast wealth, ruthlessly amassed, made them almost shadow rulers. A “government of the few,” in the word’s etymology. The term has persisted well into Putin’s rule, broadening in popular usage to refer to almost any … Read more