“Since the start of the full -glass war against Ukraine, Putin has been creating a” new elite “from among the participants of the war, gradually marginalizing the old business elite. Repression, arrests and nationalization become tools of a political game in which the oligarchs lose their influence and property” – we read in a message published on the Ukrainian intelligence website.
“Business pressure”
The Foreign Intelligence Service gives an example of a conflict between a billionaire and owner of Siewierstal Alexej Mordaszów and the Governor of the Vologodzie region Georgim Filimonov.
Filimonov accused Mordaszów of a lack of patriotism and initiated a purge in local authorities, as a result of which several high officials associated with Siewierstal were removed from positions.
“Business pressure was not limited to the Vologodziego region. In 2025, the founder of the agricultural holding of Rusagro Wadima Moszkowicz, the general director of the investment fund Blago Invest Dmitry Fosman, was detained, and a lawsuit began in the case of nationalization of the Domodiedowo airport belonging to Dmitry Kamienszczyka” – he adds an interview.
According to the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, the Kremlin not only increases the pressure on business, but also manages the redistribution of influence. Businessmen are forced to demonstrate complete political loyalty, otherwise they risk the loss of property and freedom.
Repression becomes an usual way to control the economy, and the conflicts between law enforcement agencies and oligarchs turn into another front of the fight in the ranks of the Russian authorities.
The head of Ukraine's foreign intelligence service Oleh Iwaszczenko believes that the overall potential for the creation of an organized opposition movement in Russia still exists, but remains small.
