Vladimir Putin & other presidential candidates release income details 2011-2016
The Central Election Commission for the Russian Federation has released the declared income for all the presidential candidates in the 2018 election This hasn’t been widely reported in the western media and even those reporting it don’t seem to have linked to the source, so we thought we’d do so here.
Of most interest to most people in the West presumably will be the declared income of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, since the allegations of massive personal enrichment and corruption continue unabated in the media, despite a continued lack of evidence to support them. Of course this declaration will do nothing to deter the allegations, since those making them will simply allege his “real” income is hidden from view. But, still, for what it’s worth, here are the official numbers, in original Russia and in translation:
ПУТИН ВЛАДИМИР ВЛАДИМИРОВИЧ
Источники и общая сумма доходов за шесть лет, предшествующих году назначения выборов:
зарплата, Администрация Президента Российской Федерации, доход от вкладов в банках, военная пенсия – 38 528 817 руб.
Недвижимое имущество:
квартиры: 1 квартира – 77 кв.м, г. Санкт-Петербург;
гаражи: 1 гараж – 18 кв.м, г. Санкт-Петербург.
Транспортные средства:
3 автомобиля легковых – ГАЗ 21М, 1960 г.в.,
ГАЗ – 21М, 1965 г.в., ВАЗ-2121 Нива, 2009 г.в.,
прицеп автомобильный «Скиф», 1987 г.в.
Денежные средства, находящиеся на счетах в банках:
13 счетов – 13 824 389,84 руб.
Акции и иное участие в коммерческих организациях:
ПАО «Банк Санкт-Петербург» – 230 акций.
Обязательства имущественного характера:
квартира – 153,7 кв.м, г. Москва (бессрочное пользование, распоряжение Правительства Москвы),
гаражное место – 18 кв.м, г. Санкт-Петербург (членство в ВОА).
PUTIN VLADIMIR VLADIMIROVICH
Sources and total revenue for the six years preceding the election year:
salary, Administration of the President of the Russian Federation, income from deposits in banks, military pension: 38,528,817 rubles .
Real estate:
apartments: 1 apartment – 77 sq. m, Saint-Petersburg;
garages: 1 garage – 18 sq.m, St. Petersburg.
Means of transport:
3 cars – GAZ 21M, 1960, GAZ-21M, 1965, VAZ-2121 Niva, 2009
car trailer “Scythian”, 1987.
Money held in bank accounts:
13 accounts – 13,824,389.84 rubles.
Shares and other participation in commercial organizations:
PJSC “Bank Saint Petersburg” – 230 shares.
Property commitments:*
apartment – 153.7 sq.m, Moscow (perpetual use, the order of the Moscow Government),
a garage – 18 sq. m, St. Petersburg (membership in the VOA).
*we are not clear what “property commitments” means, if anyone can clarify it would be helpful
Putin’s declared income for 2011-2016 amounts to approximately £500,000 or $660,000. That’s a little under £100,000 0r $160,000 per annum. His declared shares in Bank St. Petersburg amount to approximately 13,000 rubles (£160 or $220).
Pavel Grudinin, the Communist Party candidate, had a declared income of 157,413,983.26 rubles (approximately £1.95m or $2.7m), roughly three times that declared by Putin in the same period, and he declares more property as well, in both his name and his wife’s.
Zhirinovsky the “Liberal Democrat” candidate also has a considerably larger declared income than Putin – 98,291,079.57 rubles (approximately £1.22m or $1.6m). He also declares 8 houses and 2 empty plots of land, 19 bank accounts with 29,896,102.23 rubles in them – over twice Putin’s declaration. Zhirinovsky also declares 73,529,411 shares in VTB Bank (currently worth approximately £43,000, or $60,000).
The wealthiest candidate we have looked at so far is Ksenia Sobchak who has a declared income of 403,855,488.75 rubles ( approximately £5m or $7m).
We haven’t checked the other four candidiates’ incomes but they are all available at the link below.
All candidates’ declarations can be downloaded here
.
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Putin has been President and PM of Russia for almost 18 years. He will never need other outside money because he will retire with an excellent pension, lifetime round the clock security, in a large furnished government supplied flat with garage, free health care for himself and his family and use of dacha. This is like being an aristocrat, no need to carry a wallet.
People should read what ex-Presidents of Russia are entitled to at this link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_Russia#Post-presidency
I have not hidden my respect and admiration for Putin on these pages but that respect and admiration is not without reservations. And such a declaration showing such modest personal gain is precisely why Putin is less than snow white. I simply cannot and do not believe that Putin has so few assets. Neither do I believe that the accusations of wanton self enrichment found in some quarters to be true. But these figures are just laughable.
Well, that’s candid enough: “I simply cannot and do not believe that Putin has so few assets…. these figures are just laughable.” On the other hand, when an argument ascends purely into the realm of belief my own personal belief is that virtue exists, Credo quia absurdum est. Though I love digging the dirt with the other old gossips — no smoke without fire, and all that — in Law it’s Innocent until proven Guilty.
“Only the facts, Ma’am, just gimme the facts” — Dragnet.
@candideschmyles – you ‘don’t believe the accusations of wanton self-enrichment’, but you also don’t believe he ‘has so few assets.’ – so exactly how narrow is Mr Putin’s window of credibility here in your view? If he bought another car or a few more shares would that do it for you or would that push him into ‘wanton-self-enrichment’? 😀
Candideschmyles, your comment says more about the level of cynicism you hold about people in positions of power and influence than it does about Vladimir Putin’s veracity in declaring his interests. I suppose that’s understandable given the state of politics in Russia when he first became President in early 2000 and the opportunities to enrich himself and his family were great.
It’s possible though that as President, Putin would have been required to divest himself of any financial or other personal or family interests and that he has actually done this in the periods he has been President.
I understand that the Ukrainian Constitution requires the Ukrainian President to divest himself / herself of prior business and other personal / family interests yet the current Ukrainian President has not yet done so. I presume the Russian Constitution might have similar requirements.
It’s also possible he had enough probity to refuse to profit from the despoiling of his country in the 1990s. If he really wasn’t taking bribes maybe he also wasn’t hoovering up dirt cheap stock vouchers from starving citizens like the robber barons were busy doing?
Thanks for your thoughts on my thoughts.
I appreciate my “beliefs” are indeed cynical. As much as I admire and respect Putin both in his rescue of the the dignity of the Russian nation and as the preeminent global statesman of the age I will not fall into a slavish hero worship where I imagine the man as some sort of saint. Over the past five years we have seen Putin and his deputies engage in a new style of dialogue which gives an authority and respectability to the libertarian social justice cause that had been missing in international politics for so long. As most people here are to some extent validated by Putin speaking truth to the western hegemonic empire, and found in him a champion they can rally round, any criticism is heckle raising. However I too am a pragmatist, and I remember the 1001 lessons from history. I will never be credulous. And I think you would have to walk a long way to find a Russian that (a) believes that declaration and (b) would respect him for it if it were true. And at the end of the day it changes my opinion on him not one bit and he would still get my vote if I had one.
There’s nothing slavish or gullible about waiting for evidence before pronouncing someone guilty. Sheesh.
FYI the idea of not respecting a person for not being corrupt is very western. People here are educated from birth to smile at selfishness and think of greed and corruption as ‘natural’, even a sign of strength. That’s a much less prevalent view in Russia where many people would and do respect Putin for his reputation for integrity and incorruptibility (even if it’s an undeserved reputation, it is still his reputation and people love him for it).
Is Putin respected for being un-corrupt in Russia? That’s a surprise to be sure.
This is not geographical and not about respect. The world over and throughout history ordinary people know that power corrupts. What Russians would not respect in a leader is someone who does nothing to safeguard his and his family’s own position, that requires a substantial contingency fund.
My cynicism over the declaration cannot wait for a proof that is carefully concealed and to suggest I should take it at face value is simply naive.
Like most here I like Putin for many reasons but I do not do worship.
The declaration is about his own personal wealth. His ex-wife an daughters would almost certainly also have property and incomes of their own.
You probably don’t need to keep telling us you don’t worship. We believed you the first time.
So Putin earns less than HM Leader of the Opposition, has an extremely modestly sized flat in his home town, no doubt distributes all Russia’s share of global narcotics trafficking from an 18sqm garage, and launders all his profits through the bank he owns so many shares in?
The only question remaining unanswered is where he seduces all the mistresses he has helped to establish their careers…..any benchmarking of Clinton, McCain et al to help inform this process?!
Ask Catte about the last part.
As I read the statement, Putin states he has 13 million rubles, not thousand rubles, in the bank–which equates to 222K USD. Saying he has 200 bucks in the bank would be ridiculous.
No. His shares in the Bank of Petersburg are worth 13,000 rubles. That’s separate from the money in his various bank accounts, which does come to around 14m rubles or about $250k US.
Sobchak has several houses and some land – and a Bentley!
Having a Bentley is not illegal, unless it was nicked in the UK, shipped to Russia and sold illegally to the candidate….