JRL NEWSWATCH: “Inside Putin’s circle — the real Russian elite: As the west focuses on oligarchs, a far smaller group has its grip on true power in Moscow. Who are the siloviki — and what motivates them?” – Financial Times
“… Putin himself … and a large majority of the top elite … are from the KGB or associated state backgrounds (though not the [military]). … remarkably stable and homogenous … [now or previously] close to [Putin] personally. … [T]hey have plundered [Russia] … and have participated or acquiesced in his crimes, including … the invasion of Ukraine. They have echoed … Putin’s vicious propaganda against Ukraine and … denunciations of western decadence. … As … autocratic tendencies have grown, real power … has come to depend [increasingly] on continual personal access to [Putin]; … [the group] with such access has narrowed — especially [during] Covid … — to a handful … Five of Putin’s inner circle [include] [Foreign Minister] Sergei Lavrov … [Foreign Intelligence Chief] Sergei Naryshkin … [Secretary of Russia’s Security Council] Nikolai Patrushev … [Rosneft Chief Executive] Igor Sechin … [Defense Minister] Sergei Shoigu ….”