I was wrong about the Russian oligarchs

[Igel]

15. Too narrow.

Disloyal everybody. The bedbugs are all over the place and need to be carefully sought for and destroyed.

Oligarchs, sure. But newsfolk, reporters, teachers, professors, artists, retirees, school kids, whoever. There aren't enough oligarchs to form a "fifth column".

As for their role, think corporatism--it's when you have private companies but really it's the government that's calling the shots because the corporations are in bed with government and government has so much control (legal or otherwise) that the corporations are "captured" and serve the government's politics. It's an evil thing, and was very Mussolini.

Putin doesn't like an oligarch, oligarch is nothing but a glorified manager that profited greatly. They formed a kind of good ol' boys club, in on the process of collaborating to rig the country for their (and Putin's) wealth in exchange for making sure Putin had economic power. Right now, though, the oligarchs are *really* over a barrel. In the past, the oligarch could simply easily move liquid assets abroad, so if Putin came to tear off his nuts the oligarch could jump on a plane and land elsewhere and still be rich. Now they have trouble flying outside of Russia, they have trouble accessing or moving their assets, and if Putin comes for them they're corralled by sanctions.

That Putin cowed the siloviki is more concerning. The oligarchs had his ear but were managers; the siloviki are the movers and shakers in the various military and security apparatuses, and have real power. Or, I should say, "had" real power. Now they only have power to the extent that they agree with Putin. Wasn't good, now it's far worse.