The Russian Federation represented by its most distinguished leader – Vladimir Putin –continues to demonstrate to the world its own imperial scope. Against the background of the actual destruction of the major parts of Russia, Vladimir Putin and his trustees (Ivanov, Patrushev, Surkov, Gazprom CEO Miller) are implementing a number of large-scaled projects that devastating the budget of ordinary Russians and misleading the Western partners.
The, most notorious projects of Russia are Sochi Olympics Games held in 2014 ($55.8 billion worth) and a gas pipeline “South Stream” ($73.2 billion worth). None of these projects justified their costs that evidence about only the one thing – the actual money laundering by Russian officials.
The gas issue deserves special attention. It has long been no secret that Russia by all justified and unjustified means try to maintain and strengthen the EU’s energy dependence. The South Stream gas corridor project was one of the main blocks of Russia’s energy strategy in terms of pressure on the EU and its legislative base. However, Euro-politjcians managed to recognize the hidden threat to the energy independence of Europe and cancel the construction of the “South Stream”.
How does Russia manage to promote its imperial ambitions to the West?
The fact is that the official Kremlin does not regret the money for qualified PR-specialists. By silent Putin’s order, the PR-agencies controlled by Russia create positive “information mirage” to Gazprom as a structure that brings the greatest dividends for the “Family”.
The trustworthy sources learned that Ketchum PR-agency officially accompanies the interests of the Kremlin.
According to the latest Foreign Agents Registration Act Ketchum received more than $1.5 million from Russia (but money was received not directly from Russia, but from an affiliated company in the UK called Ketchum Limited for “covering the costs of providing services in the interests of the Russian Federation”), as well as $3.7 million from Gazprom export.
Respectively, the agency does not receive money officially from Russian budget and the Kremlin officially denies the widespread reports in the media about transferring $23 million to Ketchum between 2006 and 2012 from the state budget. However the Putin’s press-secretary DmitriyPeskov confirmed that cooperation with Ketchum continue: indirectly: according to him, the company provide services to the one of commercial banks (according to some sources the funds are transferred through the “EurofmanceMosnarbank” ($359’000 in the first half of 2012), which aims to increase the investment attractiveness and the government “under this non-budgetary contract sometimes use the help to its work from Ketchum agency”. However, Peskov refused to comment the payments for PR-services made by Gazprom amounted at $17 million (between 2006 and 2012) calling it as “internal matters that the company has as an independent organization”.
Therefore, while the majority of Russia population is impoverished and watching the increase of prices, Putin &Co tackles its own business interests do not care about budget spending.