Kassie Corelli
The Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine changed the structure of Russian society. This restructuring affected Russian elites, including through the colossal redistribution of property through nationalization. Forbes Russia reported that in 2025, assets worth over 3 trillion rubles (around $39.2 million) were transferred to state ownership, 4.5 times more than in 2024. Moscow typically takes ownership of companies for resale (Forbes.ru, December 22, 2025). State seizure of companies is typically the result of charges for violating privatization procedures, corruption, and involvement in “extremist” activities. Dmitry Kamenshchik—a billionaire and one of the richest individuals in Russia—had his ownership of Domodedovo Airport seized in June 2025. The state deemed the airport a “strategic” enterprise, prompting concerns about foreign investments and Kamenshchik’s Turkish and United Arab Emirates citizenships (Forbes.ru, December 22, 2025). The state also alleged financial misconduct (Izvestiya; SAPA, June 17, 2025). On January 29, the Russian government sold the airport for about half of its valuation to Perspektiva, a subsidiary of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport, which is controlled by Arkady Rotenberg, a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin (RBC, January 29; The Moscow Times, February 3).
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