Is Putin getting a lesson in capitalism?

Question

With Russian markets collapsing because of his implied threat to steal another privately held company (just like he stole Yukos), who in the world would trust Russia enough to invest there? Putin needs to learn something - when you steal like Stalin, capitalists will treat you like Stalin. Now the world knows that the Russian govt. can't be trusted and money should flee.

Answer 1

I think he is teaching us a lesson.

Answer 2

About stealing the company - here you are not quite right. It is just a rumor that his criticism of "Mechel" is the beggining of stealing.

He only said, that Federal Antimonopoly Service should investigate why "Mechel's" prices differ so much. Mechel's prices on the domestic market are two times the prices on the international market. I think it is a good question. Someone somewhere is buying steel twice cheaper than in the country that this steel is produced. You think that US wouldn't bother in this case?

Additional Info:

You right that Yukos story gives you right to expect that Mechel is also attacked by the government for the purpose of asset theft. And I am personally not sure that it is not so, we will see.

But before giving conclusion try to look deeper into the facts. Yukos was created on the base of government oil assets after the collapse of Soviet Union. As you know, I believe that you know, all "privatizacija" was carried without the respect to the law. All assets were bought far more cheaper than they had costed that day. So suddenly in the country where was no millionaires till 1991 appeared such peolpe as Abramovich, Berezovskiy, Khodorkovskiy and so on. They are billionaires, while some people have starved to death in 90's.

So don't be surprised that the decision of Khodorkovskiy to sell the part of Yukos to international investors was presecuted. It was easier for Russia to fight him than to fight USA later, don't you agree. Nobody was going to let the man who stole government property in 90's to sell it out and leave Russia with nothing. So he was prisoned and his Yukos was stolen back.

Abramovich for example sold his Sibneft to Russia for 8 billions dollars and now happily enjoys life with Chelsea, yachts and beatiful women. But some stupid people belived that they can fight with Putin and are living in Siberia know.

When one mafia man kills another mafia man it is sad, but they knew what they were doing, so was Khodorkovski.

BP by the way is also not stolen. The fight that happens now is the fight for control but not for price. BP still owns half of TNK-BP and nobody takes it away. They only can lose control over strategy but they can get there money back if they will desire to do so.

I wrote all this to show that situation differs a little bit now and back then (Yukos case). So I think that there IS a possability that Mechel will be stolen by government, but I think it will not happen. It will cost Russia too much reputation now. Look, only the words that Mechel was fooling government (and selling coal to themselves 4 times cheaper is reduction of tax income - Putin said so on 28th July) have destroyed Russian stock exchange (RTS fallen from 2400 point to 1890). Imagine what will happen when Mechel will be stolen by the government. So I doubt they will do this.

Thank you for your attention))

Answer 3

makes you wonder, huh?