2003年，亿万富翁、石油寡头霍尔多科夫斯基（Mikhail Khodorkovsky）因受控贪污和欺诈被捕 — — 此前，他干预支持普京的政敌 — — 自此以后，大部分俄罗斯精英变得卑躬屈膝。
Since 2003, when the billionaire oil oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky was arrested for alleged embezzlement and fraud – after he dared to support Putin’s political opponents – Russia’s elite has been largely brought to heel.