Support The Moscow Times!

Putin's Cousin Earned $95,000 Every Day in 2016

Kremlin Press Service

President Vladimir Putin’s cousin, estimated to be worth worth $573 million, reportedly earned nearly $100,000 per day last year.

A recent investigation revealed Mikhail Shelomov to be a part of Putin’s inner circle which has amassed almost $24 billion. Shelomov, 49, is the son of the president’s cousin who earns an official salary of $700 per month at a state oil firm.

The opposition news channel Dozhd TV on Thursday said it used financial statements from three companies where Shelomov owns 99.99 percent of the shares to calculate that the companies earned a net profit of 2.04 billion rubles ($35 million) in 2016.

Dozhd TV then divided the figure by 365 calendar days to arrive at 5.59 million rubles, or $95,000 per day including weekends.

Last week, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project and the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta published findings that estimate Putin’s family and friends — and not state company executives or politicians — are worth almost $24 billion.

Members of Putin’s inner circle were implicated in a $2 billion money-laundering scheme after the 2016 large-scale  document leak known as the Panama Papers. Putin’s own private wealth has previously been estimated to be as high as $200 billion.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more