Cleansing of Elites Continues in russia: the kremlin Increases Pressure on Oligarchs and Redistributes Their Assets

Since the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine, putin has been actively forming a “new elite” from among the participants of his “special military operation”, gradually marginalizing the old business elite. Repression, arrests and nationalization are becoming tools of a political game in which oligarchs are losing influence and property.

Illustrative is the conflict between billionaire Aleksei Mordashov (owner of “severstal”) and the governor of Vologda region, Georgy Filimonov. After a ban on the use of migrants in construction, the governor accused Mordashov of being “unpatriotic” and reducing investment. As a result, Filimonov initiated a cleansing of the local authorities, with several high-ranking officials associated with “severstal” being removed from office.

The pressure on businesses was not limited to Vologda. In 2025, founder of the “rusagro” agricultural holding Vadim Moshkovich, and ceo of “blago invest” Dmitry Fosman have been   detained, and a lawsuit has been launched to nationalize the Domodedovo airport owned by Dmitry Kamenshchik.

The kremlin is not only increasing pressure on business, but is also managing the redistribution of influence. Businessmen are forced to demonstrate full political loyalty, otherwise they risk losing their property or freedom. Repression is becoming a common way of controlling the economy, and conflicts between law enforcement agencies and oligarchs are turning into another front within the russian government itself.