In a statement released on Tuesday, the Kremlin said that Starovoit, 53, had taken his own life and that Putin was “shocked” by his death.
Starovoit is among a number of state officials and prominent businessmen who have died in mysterious circumstances since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. Putin’s foes and critics have often met with violent deaths.
Hey US oligarchs, this is your future. You’re not special and you are replaceable in the eyes of the government.
Sadly, they wouldn’t listen. Everyone thinks of themselves being special. Especially sociopathic rich assholes.
Right!? Who looks at this and thinks to themselves that they want to live in this kind of system?
Bystander effect/Nash equilibrium. Unless they’re ALL doing it, none of them want to be the ONLY sucker who’s forgoing short-term profit opportunities for the benefit of all. This is what government is supposed to enforce on them: forcing them ALL to support democracy.
I’m not talking about the Russian oligarchs.
I’m talking about the American oligarchs. If you are Elon musk or Peter thiel, how do you look at the Russian system and think that your circumstances will be improved by a lower tax rate, but which comes with the requirement that you are subject to the whims of a capricious psychopath?
Every incremental step along the way is immediately profitable. The thought process would be “Somebody will stop it from getting that far, and when THAT happens I’ll support the anti-authoritarian movement, but UNTIL then, all the other oligarchs are profiting from these incremental steps towards authoritarianism, and when the anti-authoritarianism kicks in there’ll be no further short-term profit opportunities to exploit so I don’t wanna be the only one who didn’t avail of them when they were available”.
They think they’ll be the ones ordering the executions.
“Why pay living wages if competitors use slave labor?
Why fund elections if rivals buy politicians?
Why defend norms if fascists deregulate?” Defection becomes rational until the system implodes.