"There are no oligarchs in Russia" --Peskov

At a news conference on 5 April, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed that "there are no oligarchs in Russia." This statement was reported in different ways by different news sources. Some provided more context than others. He was being asked about the Kremlin's response to the latest round of sanctions, and apparently a reporter from Reuters, a British news organization, referenced the targeting of "oligarchs."

The first account is from RBK, an "independent" Russian source:

The Kremlin on the background of data on new sanctions of the US declared the absence of oligarchs

The Kremlin does not yet see official confirmation of the introduction of sanctions against Russian entrepreneurs from the American blacklist. At the same time Dmitry Peskov doubted that in Russia there are "oligarchs" in general

The Kremlin is aware of reports in the media about the possible introduction of US sanctions against Russian businessmen, but does not believe that there are "oligarchs" in the country, as American media describe entrepreneurs. This was stated by the official representative of the Kremlin Dmitry Peskov, RBC correspondent reports.

РБК РБК [Trans. Googletranslate. --DJW001]

RBK's target market is domestic; the article tries to balance menace with reassurance. The Anglo-Saxon press is spreading rumors of more sanctions to come, but Russia is prepared. Calling Russia's legitimate businessmen "oligarchs" is a canard.

This was reported in "the West" by the Moscow Times, an affiliate of the New York Times:

'There are no Oligarchs in Russia,' Kremlin Claims Amid Reports of New U.S. Sanctions

The Kremlin has said that Russia has no oligarchs, following reports that the U.S. is preparing to enact a new wave of sanctions against Russian tycoons.

Sources told Reuters on Wednesday that Washington was planning to sanction Russian oligarchs as early as this week under a law targeting Moscow for meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.

“We deem the phrase ‘Russian oligarchs’ inappropriate. It’s been a long time since Russia had oligarchs. There are no oligarchs in Russia,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was cited as saying on Thursday.

The Moscow Times

The Moscow Times has a pro-Russian, anti-Putin bias. They talk up Russian culture while critiquing authoritarianism. Their Russian reporters tend to favor liberal democratic reforms. The headline and tone of the article make it clear they consider Peskov's statement ridiculous.

Tass has long been the official voice of the Russian government. They are generally the most reliable source because their credibility is important for maintaining good international relations at many levels. Here is how they reported the statement:

Kremlin says ‘no oligarchs in Russia’, just ‘big business representatives’

MOSCOW, April 5. /TASS/. The Kremlin rejected the use of the term ‘oligarchs’ when referring to representatives of Russia’s big business elite.

"There are no oligarchs in Russia," Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday.

US to impose sanctions against at least half-dozen Russian oligarchs — media
When asked whether the Russian oligarchs informed President Vladimir Putin of the fact that US law enforcement agencies are taking a heightened interest in them, Peskov said, "I think the phrase "Russian oligarchs" is inappropriate." Instead, Peskov used the term "representatives of big business."

TASS

TASS foregrounds the statement, making it clear that it represents the Kremlin's official stance. "Oligarchs" is a smear of legitimate Russian businessmen. The statement's accusatory nature is played down, and it is trimmed to make it appear that there never were oligarchs. Note they drop "It’s been a long time since Russia had oligarchs."

Finally, we come to Sputnik, formerly RIA Novosti. an official Russian agency with a more "persuasive" editorial bent:

Times When Russia Had Oligarchs Long Gone - Kremlin

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow has not received official confirmation of reports in foreign media on the US possible plans to put Russian businessmen on its sanctions lists.

[Edit for brevity. --DJW001]

The spokesperson went on saying that the times when there were oligarchs in Russia are long gone. The word "oligarch" was often used to characterize businesspeople who acquired great wealth in a very short period of time after the break-up of the Soviet Union and for a while held certain influence on the politics.

"We consider the phrase 'Russian oligarchs' inappropriate. The time when there were oligarchs in Russia is long gone, there are no oligarchs in Russia," Peskov stressed.

Sputnik

Sputnik is intended for international, particularly anglophone consumption. They cannot risk their credibility by denying there ever were men who achieved great wealth and power after the fall of the Soviet Union, so they acknowledge the fact and weave it into their narrative. Note that the headline itself emphasizes that fact, but they immediately re-frame things by calling the current oligarchs simply "Russian businessmen."

Ironically, Peskov's seemingly absurd claim may be true. Many of the "entrepreneurs" who took advantage of the collapse of the Soviet Union now live in New York, London, and Tel Aviv!

a reply to: DJW001

I made this meme just for this thread - Ol Baghdad Bob is the PR master for just such an occasion........

a reply to: DJW001

First fo all how dare you? Oligarchs implies they have power. PUTIN has power!
The second article is lame. Why doe you post that? We know already all of it.
Third article ".... representatives of big business." You could not have told us that in one sentence?
Fourth don't know why but I liked it.

Nobody says "there are no oligarchs" just that they like "Nazis" (I don't compare them in size) the term should by now be a well defined part of the history books.

Well, thank good for that, huh? I guess all’s we’ll that ends well, nothing to see here.

In what reality does anyone believe there aren’t oligarchs of a kind in every country, let alone Russia?

So 'oligarch' is no longer politically correct, it's 'big business representative' now. Alrighty then.

a reply to: DJW001

If Russia is a country on Planet Earth, then there are oligarchs there.

They are everywhere. I am trying to think of a time in history when they did not exist.

I got it! Right after the flood. Noah forgot to bring two of them. Unfortunately they spontaneously materialized as soon as the ground dried out. They then sold the Ark, got DNA rights to any animals who made it, and made Noah and his kin pay for it.

a reply to: Sublimecraft

There were no WMD’s lol...


That is the worst meme ever...

The guy wasn’t lying lol.

a reply to: ABNARTY

DING!DING Ding!! We have a winner.

a reply to: Sublimecraft


I miss him, he made me laugh on a daily basis. I think you need to break him out more often.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

You know for a guy under attack... he tried to appeaer convident as long as he could as best as was able to.
He didn't know any better.

originally posted by: JoshuaCox
a reply to: Sublimecraft

There were no WMD’s lol...


That is the worst meme ever...

The guy wasn’t lying lol.

LOL - so, you don't remember what Bobby boy kept banging on about - clearly. He was attempting to convince the world that the US invaders were being pushed back and that Iraq will prevail, WMDs rarely came up during his discourses - just his armies successes.

This is my fav, but there are many many many more....

originally posted by: Cutepants
So 'oligarch' is no longer politically correct, it's 'big business representative' now. Alrighty then.

You get it. The Kremlin is using language to disguise the truth. It is Orwellian.

a reply to: Peeple

First fo all how dare you? Oligarchs implies they have power. PUTIN has power!

Correct, but you are missing the point. The Kremlin attempts to control the perception of its reality. It expresses the same facts (a statement made at a press conference) in different ways in order create specific impression for specific audiences without undermining the trust of those audiences. Other media report exactly the same facts in a way that reflect their own bias.

A lie can be reported objectively in a way that is perfectly honest. This thread illustrates how that can be done.

originally posted by: Peeple
a reply to: DJW001

"there are no ologarchs" just that they like "Nazis" "Mongole"(I don't compare them in size, or style, just as "the Genghis Khan is dead so should our image of Mongols, for big parts, be) the term should by now be a well defined part of the history books.

added later

And forgot what I wanted to say. Oligarchs refers to a specific group after the Soviet Union. I like "Reverse Robin Hood" For tge modern oligarch-like businessmen. But where isn't that true?

a reply to: DJW001

Yeah. I just wanted to point it out because I see people complain about PC speech in liberal America, sometimes rightly so, but they fail to admit that conservatives do it too, and in a nation like Russia it's even far worse.

a reply to: Peeple

Well, words can mean different things. Oligarchs refers to a group of well-connected people who took control of formerly state-owned companies after the union broke up. But that's just a very recent usage, from the 90's. The word 'oligarch' was used long before the Russian people was born. Or at the very least I know Plato talked about oligarchy in The Republic. So I think it's very arrogant for the Kremlin to try to dictate what that word can mean or not. Oligarch is not a Russian word.

And are you saying that Mongols don't exist anymore? I think the modern-day Mongols would take issue with being relegated to the history books.

a reply to: Cutepants

You have a point. Mongols exist. Some with the old and traditional lifestyle. As soon as they get educated the lama, sheep, cow, ... herding isn't enough anymore. Not under that circumstances. How many will exist in the future?

Oligarchs are defined by having large political influences, that means power. I said it before what I think in a joke but: how much power does Putin allow besides him?