Western media responded to the Russian prime minister’s remark about America’s “parasitism” with another accusation...

MAXIM KVASH

America “lives beyond its means and shifts part of the burden of its problems onto the entire world economy, parasitizes the world economy and its monopoly dollar position,” Prime Minister Vladimir Putin told participants of the forum on Seliger.

The answer was not long in coming and, in the best traditions of Soviet-American relations, turned out to be asymmetrical. The Fox Business television channel, part of the media empire of billionaire Rupert Murdoch, called Putin a billionaire. In a sense, such a specific accusation of corruption against the Russian prime minister by Western media was made for the first time. Until now, the Western media have made only frankly fantastic assumptions about his personal wealth, with reference to Russian sources, usually obviously dubious, and always with the necessary reservations.

This time it was like that. On the prime-time opinion show "Follow the Money," host Eric Bolling sparred with Heritage political scientist Ariel Cohen. Cohen explained that for Putin, anti-Americanism is a familiar and winning rhetoric, especially when communicating with young people: “Vladimir Putin has a ‘default mode’: hit America.” And Bolling, with the characteristic candor of a former oil trader and NYMEX board member, blurted out: “He would thank his lucky stars... that we even exist, that we won the Cold War, tore down that wall, got rid of communism and brought capitalism, for the very opportunity to become a billionaire and three-time dictator of Russia" (translation by Russia Today, verified by Dengi).

And these are no longer the insinuations of the political scientist and writer Stanislav Belkovsky, who once estimated Putin’s personal fortune at $40 billion. And not the fabrications of the adventurer and fiction writer Robert Eringer, who claimed that the personal fortune of the Russian prime minister ($15-40 billion) is partially in accounts in German banks, and partly invested in real estate in Western Europe. And not even a 2008 Associated Press reporter's question about whether Putin really is the richest man in Europe.

By the way, Putin answered it. “It’s just chatter that has nothing to discuss, just nonsense. They picked everything out of their noses and smeared it on their papers” - here, by the way, it’s hard to disagree with him. Indeed, until now no documentary evidence of his gigantic fortune has been presented to the public.

There could theoretically be something more serious behind Bolling's statements. For example, the accumulated irritation of the American conservative elites with the rhetoric and the very figure of the Russian prime minister. Or even a hint that some serious documents may be made public, including specific information about the accounts of specific Russian politicians. After all, another reputational scandal - immediately after the story with the News of the World - could bury the entire Murdoch empire, this time dealing a blow to the hitherto untainted part of it, which includes, among other things, the powerful information machine Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal.

It is possible, however, that this was just a thoughtless remark, that there was no hidden threat behind it. It is possible that, as in the bearded Freudian joke, “there are just dreams.” Or a clause indicating a reluctance to see anti-American politicians in the Russian leadership. In all these cases, as has happened more than once, the accusations will be ignored.

Moreover, it is most likely not right for Putin to start a polemic. The presidential campaign in Russia has begun, and he will be the main—in fact, the only—candidate in it. Cohen and Bolling spoke of this as an indisputable fact. Medvedev has no chance. “Now the constitutional requirements have been met, Putin can return, and Medvedev will stand at attention and do as the boss says,” Cohen concluded the conversation.

How Vladimir Putin became a billionaire