Close associates and friends of Vladimir Putin, the Russian prime minister, control assets worth £130 billion, according to an independent estimate that has provoked claims of widespread cronyism.
An investigation, by a magazine critical of the Kremlin, revealed how Putin, who is set to run again for president next year in a move that could see him in power until 2024, has placed former KGB colleagues and loyalists at the helm of key state corporations.
Dubbed “Putin’s clan”, the group of close associates has interests ranging from banking, gas and oil, defence procurement, aviation, construction, mining, media and transport.
Friends of the prime minister who either share his passion for judo or were fellow members of a co-operative to manage their dachas outside Moscow in