...Second and fourth President of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from polonium poisoning. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead...who heads a bank that was hit by US sanctions over the Crimea crisis suggested on Sunday the move had backfired by helping him win new clients.
Yuri Kovalchuk, chairman of Bank Rossiya, also used a rare television appearance to make clear that other wealthy Russians should show their patriotism during the crisis.