International- Putin aimed a jab at Russian oligarchs living abroad in his state-of-the-nation speech on Tuesday.
- He pointed out how Western sanctions have hurt them, and said they should now invest in Russia.
President Vladimir Putin sent a warning to wealthy Russians abroad in his annual speech on Tuesday, in a not-so-subtle swipe at the nation's faded oligarchy.
The annual state-of-the-nation address is a tool to shore up domestic political support and assert Russia's place in world affairs. It came a day after President Joe Biden's surprise visit to Kyiv, which shocked Russia's propaganda-heavy media apparatus.
The Russian president gave a two-hour-long address in which he leaned into well-worn claims about the Russian economy and the state of the invasion of Ukraine. He also attacked Russia's elites, particularly those who have settled abroad.
"It's time to understand that for the West, those people will become second-rate aliens" whose assets are at risk, he said, according to the BBC's live translation.
Putin also talked in scathing terms about those who have "purchased titles" to become "counts, earls, peers."
The British-styled titles reflect the reality that for years a vast amount of Russian wealth has accumulated in London, sweeping up mansions, newspapers, soccer clubs and even a lordship.
Many of those oligarchs have now been hit by waves of sanctions and asset freezes, particularly in the wake of Putin's war in Ukraine.
Putin appeared to mock those figures, while also advising them to "stay with your motherland."
He added: "Not just to set up new businesses but also to change life around you."
According to Dr Jade McGlynn, a researcher and author of several books on Russian political culture, it's a well-worn but deeply popular line with ordinary Russians.
"He rarely says it quite so bluntly, but this narrative has been around since sanctions were imposed in 2014," she said.
"It's like 'you've got no friends, you might as well get on board,'" McGlynn said to describe Putin's line of attack.
Putin's contrast between himself as a robust "man of the people" versus wealthy men separated from their homeland is part of the appeal — despite the fact that Putin himself is estimated to be one of the planet's richest men.
McGlynn also says that there are no Russian oligarchs left "because 'oligarchs' suggests that [these] people have influence like they did in the 1990s. But no business person has influence on Putin."