Putin demands oligarchs’ cash to prop up Russia

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/27/putin-demands-oligarchs-cash-prop-up-russia-ukraine-war/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_reddit_prop-up-russia-ukraine-war/&accesscontrol=facebookchannel_open

10 Comments

  1. TheTelegraph on

    ***The Telegraph reports:***

    [Vladimir Putin](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/vladimir-putin/) has asked Russian oligarchs to prop up the country’s ailing war economy as he prepares to [prolong the fighting in Ukraine](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/04/13/trumps-ukraine-policy-is-going-from-bad-to-worse/).

    The president convened wealthy businessmen for a closed-door meeting to request large “donations” to the state, according to reports in the Financial Times and The Bell, a Russian independent online newspaper.

    He reportedly told the tycoons that Russia needed the money because it intended to fight on in Ukraine until it captured the rest of the Donbas region.

    [Kyiv’s refusal to withdraw from its industrial heartland](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/02/18/zelensky-trump-being-unfair-in-very-tense-ukraine-talks/) as a condition of US-brokered talks necessitated a renewed Russian push, Putin said.

    It marked the first known occasion on which Putin has personally appealed to oligarchs for financial support, although the state has repeatedly [sought to extract funds](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2024/08/25/putin-seizes-100m-from-google-to-fund-russias-war-machine/) from Russian businesses to [shore up its spending](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2023/07/17/putin-seizes-control-danone-carlsberg-russia-assets/).

    **Full story:** [**https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/27/putin-demands-oligarchs-cash-prop-up-russia-ukraine-war/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_reddit_prop-up-russia-ukraine-war/&accesscontrol=facebookchannel_open**](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/27/putin-demands-oligarchs-cash-prop-up-russia-ukraine-war/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_reddit_prop-up-russia-ukraine-war/&accesscontrol=facebookchannel_open)

  2. Why can’t he pay for his stupid war himself. He’s got all of the country’s funds in his personal coffers.

  3. “*“It was not president Putin’s initiative, although, of course, the head of state welcomed such an initiative,” Mr Peskov said.*

    *“Many consider it their duty to make such contributions,” he added, explaining that many of their businesses felt they owed a debt of gratitude as their success was often closely linked to the state. “*

    At least he drains russias financial power by diverting it into “war chest/economy” where money gets spent on things that will be blow up soon after they are finished while rest of russia deteriorates.

  4. DreamLunatik on

    Hey, American companies, this is what Trump will do during his “emergencies” he will declare to avoid the next elections.

  5. GoodPear8481 on

    Destroying Russian oil production facilities and sinking/capturing the Russian and Iranian tanker shadow fleet is the best thing we can do right now to stop Russia.

  6. CompetitiveEnd6974 on

    IMO if true, this is to see who is still with him. He has been in self preservation mode for a few weeks now

  7. RW-Firerider on

    Question: Even if like the top 100 Oligarchs gave all their money to Putin, how much would that be? Since they dont have access to frozen accounts and stuff

  8. Tall_Pressure7042 on

    The Russian psychopath has realised his war does not go as planned. So he is trying to find the way to destroy and bankrupt his country.