Three Russian Journalists Dead.

[BillyB]

They were investigating Wagner who is believed to provide Putin with a private army.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/07/russian-journalists-killed-central-african-republic-180731203838288.html

[msmob]

WOW !  I'm impressed, BillyB, really ...   

I never expected any news outside of Russia / Azerbaijan to pick up on this aspect of their deaths ... RT certainly didn't mention that

To be a mercenary is illegal under Russian Criminal code....

[BillyB]

Here's RT's version of the story. The journalists were victims of a robbery. RT failed to mention the journalists were working for a billionaire Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a critic of Putin.

http://www.rt.com/news/434757-russian-journalists-killed-central-africa/

[msmob]

FORMER Billionaire, surely ?

Wasn't his Lukoil empire 'nationalised' - for 'non payment' of taxes..

The inverted commas are because the European Court of Human Rights says this 'reasoning was Political....

[BillyB]

FORMER Billionaire, surely ?

Wasn't his Lukoil empire 'nationalised' - for 'non payment' of taxes..

You're right, former billionaire but I suspect he has enough money still to fund activities to root out corruption in Russia. Wiki has him valued at half a billion currently.  I wouldn't be surprised if he eats radioactive poisoning, fall out of a window or choke on a rope someday. He was lucky not to be jailed for life. Just to make Putin look bad, he's now risking his life. His website below. He lives in the UK, a place Russians go to die.

http://www.khodorkovsky.com/programmes/open-russia/

[DaveNY]

FORMER Billionaire, surely ?

Wasn't his Lukoil empire 'nationalised' - for 'non payment' of taxes..

The inverted commas are because the European Court of Human Rights says this 'reasoning was Political....

IMO, Khodorkovsky's arrest, trial and prison sentence is one of the reasons so many Russian millionaires and billionaires have found homes for some of their wealth abroad. They didn't want Putin to suddenly decide nationalizing their business(es) was in Russia's interest and in the process leaving them substantially less wealthy or broke.

[Boethius]

Why shouldn’t Putin nationalize their businesses?  They stole those businesses from the state during the lawless 1990’s.

[BillyB]

They stole those businesses from the state during the lawless 1990’s.

Many oligarchs paid pennies to the dollar for those state run businesses that were failing with the state. The corruption at the state level allowed those sales.

Here the American government gets rid of an aircraft carrier cheap.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/09/us/penny-for-an-aircraft-carrier/index.html

IMO, Khodorkovsky's arrest, trial and prison sentence is one of the reasons so many Russian millionaires and billionaires have found homes for some of their wealth abroad. They didn't want Putin to suddenly decide nationalizing their business(es) was in Russia's interest and in the process leaving them substantially less wealthy or broke.

Big business in Russia are allowed to cheat on taxes among other illegal things. As long as they tow the line, they are safe. If they step out of line, Putin can actually find something on them they did illegal and take away their company with the full support of the public.