The fact that Abramovich did not share the fate of other Yeltsin-era oligarchs under Putin is due to his cunning and humility. While Berezovsky thought Putin could be manipulated, he fled into exile in London and was found dead years later, and Mikhail Khodorkovsky spent ten years in prison for his political ambitions, Abramovich has always been a loyal servant of Putin. It is said that he was the one who convinced Yeltsin to install the secret service agent as president and then chose Dmitry Medvedev as interim president. In fact, he was so lenient with Putin that he allowed himself to be burdened with the role of governor of Chukota. By 2008, he had invested more than $1 billion in Russia’s impoverished eastern region.
However, it is questionable how great his influence is on the Kremlin chief today. Recently, Abramovich has increasingly focused on sponsorship and sport, and has not lived in Moscow for a long time. It is therefore assumed that he plays a different role: Vladimir Milov, Russia’s former deputy energy minister, speculates that he is, so to speak, “Putin’s treasurer” in the West. Abramovich is the man Putin secretly shares wealth with, who is pursuing his economic interests abroad, he has now said in a BBC documentary.
Of course, the Abramovich press strictly rejects this. Of course, that would be a sensible explanation for his commitment to Ukraine, which could be rewarded with the lifting of sanctions.