Kleptocrats of the Kremlin

Combatting corruption is a core imperative of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, or the OSCE. Corruption takes many forms; one of those is kleptocracy, or rule by thieves. Nowhere is this idea of corruption as a system of government more fully realized than in the Russian Federation. Russia has been on a steady path to kleptocratic authoritarianism ever since Putin entered the scene 18 years ago. Since then a new generation has entered adulthood, one that does not remember a Russia before Putin. As these young Russian men and women enter the workforce, they confront institutions in both the public and private sectors that have been completely assimilated into Putin's kleptocratic architecture, and are left with a choice to either be co-opted into this corrupt system or ejected from it. While Putin is the central figure responsible for Russia's descent into kleptocratic rule, he is not the only one. The strongman of the Kremlin is surrounded by a loyal group of cronies who aid and abet the president, complicit in the robbery of the Russian people and the sad state of Russian democracy. These cronies enable the Kremlin to export its brand of kleptocracy into neighboring countries, transforming corruption into a potent geostrategic weapon.