Two Russian businessmen have been fined after the publication of a video on social media showing a masked man throwing wads of cash onto the central street of St. Petersburg from a Bentley.
In the Instagram video that gathered more than 1 million views, a man wearing a diamond encrusted balaclava tells viewers that “money is meaningless” from the back seat of the luxury car.
“I have 50,000 rubles ($761) in my hands. That’s the average salary in St. Petersburg, no less. Is that what you’re slaving away for? I feel sorry for you,” the man says in the video published by the “Rich Russian Kids” Instagram account, before proceeding to “make it rain” out of the window of the car.
Street musicians performing outside the city’s Gostiny Dvor shopping complex are heard yelling: “Look, they’re throwing money!”
It was not immediately clear if the money pictured in the Oct. 12 video was real.
According to an unnamed law enforcement source quoted by the Fontanka.ru news website, local traffic police were incensed by the publication of the video and told to check if any violations had occurred.
“Since there’s no law banning the throwing of money, you can always look into traffic violations,” the source was cited as saying.
An investigation traced the license plates of the Bentley Mulsanne and a Range Rover vehicles in the video to two local businessmen, who were issued fines of 3,000 rubles ($46) each for failing to give priority to public transportation vehicles, Fontanka said.
One of those fined, businessman Alexander Aristarkhov, said he had rented out the vehicles to an unnamed individual for the filming of a video.
The authorities warned that Aristarkhov could face tax evasion charges for renting out luxury vehicles in cash if similar acts continued to appear online.
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.
Remind me later.
