Shortly after Russia's election commission released details about President Vladimir Putin's income, an old comment made by world's richest man Elon Musk is gaining traction on the internet. The central election commission (CEC) of Russia said Mr Putin declared in financial documents that he made less than $1 million in the last six years as Russian President. The documents revealed that Mr Putin made 67.6 million rubles, which is approximately $753,000, between 2018 and 2024. But in 2022, speaking to German businessman and journalist Mathias Dopfner, Mr Musk made a startling claim.
"I do think that Putin is significantly richer than me," Mr Musk had said when asked about becoming the richest man in the world.
Mr Putin's wealth has remained a mystery. The Russian President has been linked to a $1.4 billion palace on the Black Sea and a $4 billion Monaco apartment.
But there have been reports that claimed that Mr Putin's personal wealth stood at a staggering $200 billion. But going by what Mr Musk said, the actual amount is much more than this.
Officially, Mr Musk's net worth is $204.7 billion, according to Forbes data. Though he is the CEO of six companies, reports say Mr Putin owns 20 houses, 700 cars, 58 aircraft and helicopters, and a $716 million plane humorously named "The Flying Kremlin".
Experts claim his real estate holdings are in the billions too, including a castle-like mansion on the outskirts of Moscow that's twice the size of Buckingham Palace.
The $200 billion claim was made by financier Bill Browder, who appeared before the US Senate Judiciary Committee in 2017 and spoke about Mr Putin amassing his wealth after the imprisonment of oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky in 2003 for fraud and tax evasion.
"After Khodorkovsky's conviction, the other oligarchs went to Putin and asked him what they needed to do to avoid sitting in the same cage as Khodorkovsky. From what followed, it appeared that Putin's answer was, "50%". He wasn't saying 50% for the Russian government or the presidential administration of Russia, but 50% for Vladimir Putin personally," Mr Browder was quoted as saying by Fortune.
On top of all this, the famous Panama Papers revealed a network of secret offshore deals and loans worth $2 billion pointing to Mr Putin in 2016.
Mr Putin has denied all these allegations, but admitted to different form of riches.
"I am the wealthiest man, not just in Europe but in the whole world: I collect emotions. I am wealthy in that the people of Russia have twice entrusted me with the leadership of a great nation such as Russia. I believe that is my greatest wealth," he was quoted as saying by New York Times reporter Steven Lee Myers in his book 'The New Tsar'.
