Wednesday, August 29, 2012

"Galley slave" Putin savors yachts, planes, palaces, critics say

(Reuters) - Vladimir Putin once compared ruling Russia to being a "galley slave", but four yachts that come with the job, not to mention palaces, aircraft and a wealth of luxury perks help explain his refusal to quit the presidency, leading critics said on Tuesday.

Listing 58 planes and helicopters and 20 homes with opulent fittings worthy of the tsars, not to mention 11 watches which alone are worth several times Putin's annual salary, a report published under the ironic title "The Life of a Galley Slave" by opposition leader Boris Nemtsov denounced a "blatant and cynical challenge" to millions of Russians barely managing to survive.

The Kremlin, which has long portrayed the 59-year-old president as a man of simple tastes and a liking for popular sports and active outdoor pastimes, did not immediately comment.

Putin, who declares a personal income barely a quarter of that of his U.S. counterpart, has long denied rumors that he has built up a vast personal fortune. The report did not address that but it illustrated in 32 pages how the former KGB agent has expanded the trappings of the office of president since he rose to power in 2000; it is intended to foster faint stirrings of opposition to his recent re-election for a further six years.

"One of the most serious reasons prompting V. Putin to hold on to power is the atmosphere of wealth and luxury to which he has become accustomed," wrote Nemtsov and co-author Leonid Martynyuk. "In a country where more than 20 million people barely make ends meet, the luxurious life of the president is a blatant and cynical challenge to society.

"We absolutely cannot put up with this."

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