Corona Daily 458: The Russian Oligarch

Dmitry Bosov’s estate lies in an area known as Rublyovka, a 40 minute drive from the Kremlin. These forests were popular hunting grounds with the Russian Tsars. Every ruler from Lenin, Stalin to Putin has had his official residence here. Rublyovka is a billionaires’ ghetto. Some of the world’s costliest houses are located here. When the oligarchs shop at the Barvikha luxury village, purchases include not just Prada and Gucci, but also a Bentley or a Maserati.

Dmitry Bosov, 52, is among the Russian $-billionaires. His house stands on a 5-hectare (50,000 sq meters) plot. The gigantic place has a gated, camera-observed driveway, leading to a spacious car park. The house is surrounded by grassy lawns, swimming pools, a spa, a Russian sauna, gardens, mature trees, thick hedges, a fitness center and an ice hockey ground. In May, with spring gradually journeying towards summer, the surroundings are fresh and lively. Bosov lives a short walk from President Putin’s dacha. In 2016, he sponsored a hockey league in which Putin and he played together.

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This year, the start of the Moscow lockdown coincided with Bosov’s birthday. A coal baron, he had to cancel his grand birthday celebrations.

Like any Russian oligarch, Bosov has conflicts in business and family, problems with booze and insomnia, but he has had them for the past thirty years. In January this year, he bought a multi-million mansion in Beverly Hills, for an occasional change of weather. But now he can’t travel to California, not even in his private jet. Coal prices are falling. But his biggest concern as he discussed with friends is that the pandemic will cause such poverty in Russia that the poor will revolt.

In the 1917 revolution, it was not just the Tsar’s family that was assassinated. Several aristocrats were killed, and each bedroom from their grand apartments was given to individual families to conceive the Soviet communal apartments. Worried, Bosov re-checked the CCTV cameras, the gates, and began carrying his pistol on his person. Last week, on 30 April, Russia’s Prime Minister Mishustin, whom Bosov knows well, tested positive. The Russian numbers have crossed 150,000, with 1500 dead. Every day 10,000 more cases are springing up.

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Yesterday, on 6 May, Katerina, Bosov’s wife, called him over the phone. When you live on a 5-hectare plot, you need phones to find your family. After several unsuccessful calls, she went to security and began checking the CCTV footage. It showed Bosov entering the fitness center in the night. Katerina and the guard rushed to it. The door, locked from inside, had to be forced open. Dmitry Bosov, the billionaire, was found dead on the floor, with a bullet in his head. His Glock 17 Gen 4 was lying next to him. No suicide note was found anywhere.

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It is likely thousands of super-poor will die in the pandemic. The case of the Russian oligarch shows it can claim some super-rich as well.

Ravi