Putin's "No. 1 Enemy" Says Russian Leader Stole Over $1 Trillion From His Own People

A staunch Kremlin critic described as "Vladimir Putin's number one enemy" has claimed that the Russian President has stolen more than a trillion dollars from his own people. In an op-ed article published in Daily Mail, Sir William Browder revealed how Putin went from a "political weakling" to a "monstrous dictator". According to him, when Putin was named as successor to Boris Yeltsin in 1999, he was virtually unknown outside of Russian politics and even inside the country, his approval rating was low. He was regarded both by the public and oligarchs who controlled the economy as a political weakling. However, now, after a quarter of a century, even though he lacks charisma, no one regards him as a weakling, said Mr Browder. 

Mr Browder, the founder and CEO of Hermitage Capital Management, an investment firm based in London, was one of the largest investors in Russia until 2005 when he was banned from entering the country. Since then, he has become a vocal Kremlin critic and activist and has acquired the status of "Putin's number 1 enemy". 

In a recent essay for Daily Mail, Mr Browder said that Putin is clinging to power by waging an endless war. He called Putin the "embodiment of evil, a monstrous dictator who threatens a nuclear holocaust that could obliterate Europe". He also claimed that the Kremlin leader and his associates have stolen more than a trillion dollars from Russians. 

The toll of Russian dead and injured from the so-called 'special military operation' in Ukraine alone is approaching 800,000, Mr Browder said. "The devastation he has wreaked on Russia for his personal gain is incalculable. So is the wealth he has plundered. A conservative estimate puts the amount he and a thousand of his associates have stolen at more than a trillion dollars," he wrote. 

Mr Browder called Putin the "biggest gangster of all". He stated that under his reign, he granted oligarchs their freedom and his protection, in exchange for 50% of their wealth. According to him, the Kremlin leader looted the state coffers, stealing money from the military, income tax, education and healthcare budgets, infrastructure projects and all the public services that keep a country running. He also took revenge on anyone who dared try to expose his methods. "All Russians, like Putin himself, have become hostages of a kleptocracy, a dictatorship that exists to steal," he said. 

Also Read | Iranian Woman Removes Cleric's Turban, Wears It As Hijab In Bold Protest

According to the Kremlin critic, Putin has to keep the country in a state of permanent siege and paranoia in a bid to prevent Russians from turning on him. "If overthrown, nowhere on the planet would be safe for the 72-year-old to take refuge, despite his staggering fortune. He would be extradited back to Russia, thrown into jail, tried and almost certainly executed," he said. 

In the article, Mr Browder further wrote if the West continue to "underestimate him, by permitting him to strike a deal that ends the Ukraine conflict, he will wage war on us - by covert means such as sabotage and terrorism, by economic methods and, when these are not enough, by unleashing an armed assault on a Nato country that will plunge us into World War III." 

"The only deal Putin will accept is one of total capitulation and the collapse of Ukraine. The only deal Putin is ever interested in is the one where he takes everything. The West's leaders have too often failed to understand that," he said.