Quote Originally Posted by Hanna View Post
Here is an example. A new London residence bought by somebody most likely brought up in a regular modest flat somewhere in Russia. However, today he needs a palace in Central London, like the Queen! The man is called Andrey Goncharenko.

Russian billionaire Andrey Goncharenko snaps up Britain's most expensive house | Mail Online



(he bought the most expensive house in the UK).

I'm sure he is shrewd, gutsy has a bit of talent, contacts and wherewithal which allowed him to make money. But this is the type of wealth that not even 500 year old landowning aristocracy has. Or people who made groundbreaking revolutionary scientific discoveries. This man is neither.

Imho, this man is NOT worthy of such riches and it's not realistic to assume that he could have made this much money in an honest way. While this house is not even his main residence, pensioners who worked all their lives to build up their nation back in Russia are struggling in sub standard housing without any hope for improvement.

To those Russians who are somehow "proud" of these noveau riche oligarch Russians: Please don't, most of them appear either vulgar, criminal, dangerous or all at the same time. All they have is money.

There are many Russians to admire but these oligarchs are NOT among them, unless you have a very strange worldview (we can see some examples of that above). You notice them in London, particularly in expensive locations. I regard them the same way I regard Saudi and Emirates oil princes.

I think counting other people's money in a mentor's fashion is even more vulgar than showing off yours.