Remember Oleg Deripaska, the Russian oligarch who invited George Osborne and Peter Mandelson on to his 240ft yacht? This is a video of him being humiliated by Putin on Russian television.
Deripaska was publicly shamed after a wage dispute at one of his aluminium plants sparked a big protest, causing a 250-mile traffic jam. Putin decided it was better to belittle the billionaire than to risk social unrest.
I’d seen the story last week but I’ve only just caught up with the video. Before he forced Deripaska to sign the contract, Putin apparently said: “Why has your factory been so neglected? They’ve turned it into a rubbish dump. Why was everyone running around like cockroaches before my arrival?” Sinister stuff.
Jim Pickard
Kiran Stacey