A trial involving Russia’s former economy minister and the head of state-owned oil company Rosneft has split the country’s ruling elite and prompted difficult questions for the Kremlin.
The story has it all, says The Independent: “Exotic locations, alleged bungs, secret recordings and a basket of sausages.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Ulyukayev became the first serving minister since soviet secret police chief Lavrenty Beria in 1953 to be arrested when he was caught in an elaborate bribery sting, allegedly orchestrated by Sechin.
The Bashneft deal “had been presented as a watermark test for Russian privatisation but resulted in a tug-of-war within the government”, says The Independent.
In a country where senior politicians are rarely brought to trial, the case has split the ruling elite and reignited questions as to the relationship between the Kremlin, business and state-owned industries.
While he has said he was aware of the operation, President Putin has sought to maintain his distance and arbitrate between the liberal free market and protectionist factions within his government.
-
6 homes with incredible balconiesFeature Featuring a graceful terrace above the trees in Utah and a posh wraparound in New York City
-
Did Alex Pretti’s killing open a GOP rift on guns?Talking Points Second Amendment groups push back on the White House narrative
-
The 8 best hospital dramas of all timethe week recommends From wartime period pieces to of-the-moment procedurals, audiences never tire of watching doctors and nurses do their lifesaving thing
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
How oil tankers have been weaponisedThe Explainer The seizure of a Russian tanker in the Atlantic last week has drawn attention to the country’s clandestine shipping network
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
-
Venezuela ‘turning over’ oil to US, Trump saysSpeed Read This comes less than a week after Trump captured the country’s president
