After the fall of the USSR, the transition to a market economy opened the doors of glory to unknown entrepreneurs. Taking advantage of President Boris Yeltsin's vast privatization program, the so-called "seven bankers", under the leadership of the "godfather of the Kremlin" Boris Berezovsky, threw themselves into Russian capital.

Second part: Invested president on May 7, 2000, Putin launches hostilities between his close guard and the historical oligarchs. He gathers the latter in Stalin's dacha to send them a message: rally or disgrace.

The construction of a second gas pipeline, Nord Stream 2, should allow Germany to double its imports. But during the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the West did an about-face. The United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom imposed sanctions against Russian businessmen, banks and companies. Putin nevertheless managed to circumvent these measures. Having become pariahs in the West, the oligarchs were forced to return to Russia to be closer to the master of the Kremlin.