in Russia and other countries that succeeded the Soviet Union: one of a class of individuals who through private acquisition of state assets amassed great wealth that is stored especially in foreign accounts and properties and who typically maintain close links to the highest government circles
But what does it really mean to be a Russian oligarch …? … in Russian politics, the term first came about in the 1990s to describe a dozen or so powerful men who amassed immense wealth following the collapse of the Soviet Union.The Business Insider
The task force will pool the resources of the countries' law enforcement divisions to track down the assets of Russian oligarchs stashed overseas, a difficult task complicated by the opaque or complicated financial instruments frequently used by Russian financial elites to hide their holdings from public view. Jeff Stein
… young Armenians, who joined the protests in droves, angry that the same small club of politicians and oligarchs has controlled the country since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Neil Macfarquhar
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebThe team is owned by a billionaire oligarch who lavishes star players with more than $1 million in salary and benefits. Louise Radnofsky, WSJ, 4 Aug. 2022 That same year, Khudainatov left Gazprom and joined Rosneft as vice president, while still holding onto his Severneft stake and also serving on the board of engineering firm Stroytransgaz—owned by the oligarch and Putin ally Gennady Timchenko. Giacomo Tognini, Forbes, 13 June 2022 The investment came just months after the Trump administration lifted sanctions on Rusal -- which had previously been run by oligarch and Putin ally Oleg Deripaska -- amid an extensive lobbying campaign by the company. Rachel Woolf For Cnn, CNN, 4 Apr. 2022 A few nights ago, a handful of protesters broke into a mansion belonging to the family of Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska in London’s Belgravia neighborhood.Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2022 Protesters occupied a building reported to belong to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska in London on Monday.NBC News, 14 Mar. 2022 Italy’s finance police seized one of the world’s most iconic sailing yachts, owned by a Russian oligarch. Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 14 Mar. 2022 France has seized a 280-foot super-yacht owned by a Russian oligarch. Amiah Taylor, Fortune, 3 Mar. 2022 The exit of Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich as Chelsea owner last spring was supposed to mean that one of Europe’s freest spending clubs was finally turning off the faucet. Joshua Robinson, WSJ, 2 Sep. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from Greek oligárchēs, from olig-olig- + -archēs-arch entry 1, after Greek oligarcheîsthai "to be ruled by an oligarchy," oligarchíaoligarchy