The price of loyalty: Kremlin propaganda power couple Skabeeva and Popov have seen their incomes soar amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

The hosts of the talk show “60 Minutes” can indeed afford such an estate. According to yet more data reviewed by The Insider, Skabeeva’s current salary is 22.3 million a year (just over $280,000). She made 15.2 million rubles ($191,000) in 2021, the last time the couple’s income was publicly disclosed. In September of that year, Popov was “elected” to the State Duma as a candidate for the ruling United Russia party. After the start of the full-scale war, earnings data for the families of MPs was — conveniently — classified.

Ahead of the 2021 State Duma elections, Popov tried to conceal his real income and deny The Insider’s reporting about his high earnings. But in the end, even the Moscow City Election Commission accused the propagandist of manipulating the numbers.