Russia: Vladimir Putin claims personal assets increased by $1 million in 6 years

In his six years as President of Russia, Vladimir Putin asserts that he has earned less than $1 million. According to media reports, the disclosure was made in financial records that Russia’s election administration released on Tuesday. Putin has reportedly earned 67.6 million rubles, or around $753,000, from 2018 to 2024. This sum also includes the money he received from the sale of properties, a military pension, and income from bank savings. He is competing in the March presidential election, which he will undoubtedly win. Mr. Putin has ruled Russia for several decades: he served as prime minister from 2012 to 2008 and as president from 2000 to 2008. After he officially filed as a candidate for the March election, the official income data were made public. In comparison, it is reported that the US president receives an annual salary of $400,000. According to the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Russia, Mr. Putin possesses several automobiles and has funds totaling 54.5 million rubles ($606,000) spread across ten separate bank accounts. These are a 1987 camping trailer, a 2009 Russian-made 4X4, and two classic Soviet Union cars from the 1960s, known as GAZ M-21s. In addition, the Russian president owns a garage in St. Petersburg as well as an apartment in Moscow. The documents were made public one day after an article in the Moscow Times stated he had a covert home close to the Russian-Finnish border. According to the site, Mr. Putin’s purported hideout is located in Karelia’s Lake Ladoga National Park and includes three contemporary homes on the beach of Marjalahti Bay, two helipads, multiple yacht piers, a trout farm, and a farm that raises cows for the production of marbled beef. The Russian presidential election is scheduled to take place across three days, from March 15 to 17. Opponents of the Kremlin claim that this arrangement makes it more challenging to ensure openness. Putin, 71, might hold onto power until at least 2036 as a result of a contentious constitutional amendment that was passed in 2020.