logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2022
26m 6s

Why are Russian oligarchs only now in th...

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode

As governments around the world race to sanction associates of Vladimir Putin, the British media turns its attention to the role Russian oligarchs have played in public life. This week an edition of Panorama aired allegations about the source of Roman Abramovich's wealth. At the weekend The Sunday Times reported that Evgeny Lebedev was made a peer despite the concerns of the security services. But why is it only now that the mainstream press has put the oligarchs in the spotlight? What stopped them before?

Guests: Paul Caruana Galizia, reporter at Tortoise Media; Adam Bienkov, Political Editor at Byline Times; Laura Kayali, Tech Correspondent at Politico; Natalia Antelava, journalist and co-founder of Coda Story, a global affairs news site; Lionel Barber, former editor of The Financial Times.

Producer: Hannah Sander

Studio engineer: Tim Heffer

Presenter: Katie Razzall

Up next
Today
BBC cuts, Ritula Shah, Norma Percy, Filming protests
As the BBC announces new cuts, Jonathan Munro, Interim CEO of BBC News & Current Affairs, joins Katie and Ros to discuss the decision. Ritula Shah, former presenter of the World Tonight on Radio 4, reacts to the news that the programme is being axed.The acclaimed documentary make ... Show More
42m 50s
Jun 10
Alex Kay-Jelski, World Cup coverage, Belfast reporting, Influencers in Russia
As the World Cup kicks off, Ros and Katie speak to Alex Kay-Jelski, the BBC’s Director of Sport about his ambitions for the tournament and vision for BBC Sport. We also hear from two football journalists covering the World Cup: Craig Hope from the Daily Mail is reporting on the E ... Show More
42m 48s
Jun 3
Laura Kuenssberg, SNP embezzlement story, Rafa documentary, 60 Minutes
The BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg joins Ros and Katie to discuss her exclusive interview with Nicola Sturgeon, the first since her estranged husband pleaded guilty to embezzling £400,000 from the SNP. John Ferguson, Political Editor at the Sunday Mail in Scotland, also shares his experi ... Show More
42m 39s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2022
Masha Gessen on Putin’s 'Profoundly Anti-Modern’ Worldview
<p>For Western audiences, the past few weeks have been a torrent of information about what’s happening in Russia and Ukraine. Daily updates of Russian military advances. Horrifying videos of buildings exploding and innocent civilians being killed. Announcements of increasingly se ... Show More
1h 1m
Apr 2022
9. The Emperor's Palace
President Putin tries to crush the leading opposition figure, Alexei Navalny as Russians take to the streets in protest over pensions and local elections. And there are revelations about expensive watches and a secret and very opulent palace.To understand how Vladimir Putin rules ... Show More
30m 10s
Mar 2022
4. The Shallow Roots of Democracy
Cementing power in Russia, a revolution in Ukraine and a challenge to the US - Jonny Dymond examines Vladimir Putin’s second term as president. To help him make sense of how this tumultuous period from 2004 to 2008 began a path towards events we are witnessing today, he’s joined ... Show More
33m 5s
Mar 2024
Ramadan repression in the West Bank
With the global media’s attention trained on Gaza since October 7, things have worsened for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, and near impossible for journalists to cover. With their movement severely restricted, dozens of Palestinian journalists have been arrested, often h ... Show More
24m 29s
May 2024
Exclusive investigation: The million pound properties owned by Putin’s regime
Day 819.Today, we unpack an exclusive Telegraph investigation into how much property the Russian government holds in London. Plus, we hear again from former Ukrainian MP Aliona Hlivco. Contributors:Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor, Defence). @DomNicholls on X.Aliona Hlivco (For ... Show More
53m 55s
Mar 2024
Putin's Russia: An election without democracy?
Today is the first day of voting in Russia's presidential election which is all but certain to hand Vladimir Putin another six years in power.Adam is joined by Catherine Belton, journalist and author of Putin’s People, and former British Defence Attaché to Moscow John Foreman. Th ... Show More
28m 59s
Mar 2022
1. The Moth
From street thug to spy – what the Russian president did before he came to power. To understand what Vladimir Putin might do in the future, you need to understand his past; where he’s come from, what he’s lived through, what he’s done. Jonny Dymond hears tales of secret agents, g ... Show More
30m 5s
Feb 2024
Bonus: The Global Jigsaw - Does Russia’s election matter?
Putin’s re-election is certain, but there is still a lot at stake for the Kremlin. We look into the efforts aimed at achieving unequivocal victory in what seems to be the most oppressive election in Russia for two decades. What are the stories state media can and cannot touch, ho ... Show More
36m 2s