[MUSIC PLAYING]
RYAN DUFFY: So with the fall of communism
came a lot of questions.
Chief among them, when you're dividing up decade's worth of
state-owned assets, who gets what?
The short answer is a very lucky few.
In the early '90s, private citizens with the best
connections to the powers that be, we're essentially just
gifted a whole bunch of previously
state-controlled assets.
It's all best personified by the Russian oligarchs, a group
of super-powerful businessmen who control a disproportionate
amount of the country's wealth.
We came to Moscow to see how the 0.00001% live.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
RYAN DUFFY: We're about to go meet Sergey, who we've heard
really enjoys a life of real opulence.
We've been flying over all this land, and you're like,
OK, so when do we get to Sergey's place?
And they're like, this is Sergey's place.
This entire fucking place is Sergey's.
He owns pretty much the entire north of Russia.
Sergey Veremeenko is an oligarch thought to have had
connections to both the Russian mob and the Putin
government, who made his fortune through coal, metals,
and later banking.
His 26-year-old wife, Sophia, joined us for lunch.
SERGEY VEREMEENKO: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
RYAN DUFFY: Thank you so much for your hospitality.
Cheers.
SERGEY VEREMEENKO: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
SOFIA ARZHAKOVSKAYA: I saw like six
bodyguards behind him.
After we hung out, and had coffee, and chatted, he stood
up, and there was like six bodyguards.
Oh my god, who is this guy?
SERGEY VEREMEENKO: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
SOFIA ARZHAKOVSKAYA: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
SERGEY VEREMEENKO: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
RYAN DUFFY: Really?
Wow.
SOFIA ARZHAKOVSKAYA: In 2006.
RYAN DUFFY: I didn't know.
That changes the dynamic of the table.
I've never sat at a table with a Mrs. World before.
SOFIA ARZHAKOVSKAYA: Yep.
RYAN DUFFY: That's amazing, in 2006?
Wow.
SOFIA ARZHAKOVSKAYA: It was a huge scandal as well.
RYAN DUFFY: So they thought there was cheating or some
backroom deals?
SOFIA ARZHAKOVSKAYA: They were saying right away that he was
standing right there with the gun, saying, you know, now put
a crown on her.
RYAN DUFFY: I assume that's not the case, right, Sergey?
SOFIA ARZHAKOVSKAYA: Of course not.
He was surprised as I am that I won.
RYAN DUFFY: Right, but just because he's a powerful guy
people would just assume that the corruption, the word that
gets thrown around all the time.
And that's a very Western perception of Russia, right?
Is that business and finance is very closely tied to, you
know, corruption and that.
How do you kind of stay on top of that?
SERGEY VEREMEENKO: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
[BELL TOLLS]
RYAN DUFFY: After our caviar, Sergey took us to view his
collection of Russian religious art.
Valued at over $200 million, it's thought to be the largest
in the world.
So this is essentially one tenth of Sergey's collection
of icons, housed here at a private museum.
Not at his main house.
Just at one of the country houses he has.
He built a private museum.
It's stunning.
SERGEY VEREMEENKO: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
SOFIA ARZHAKOVSKAYA: He's the favorite holy icon for the
businessman to pray to.
RYAN DUFFY: Why is this the favorite of the businessman?
SERGEY VEREMEENKO: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
RYAN DUFFY: Should I be concerned about the wolves and
the bears that we don't shoot?
All right, vodka's the answer.
SERGEY VEREMEENKO: Let's go.
RYAN DUFFY: So in Sergey's down time,
he's an avid hunter.
So much so that he this entire estate of cabins out here
where he hunts wild boar, among other things.
So he's brought us out to traipse through the snow and
hunt some boar.
But outfits are first and foremost.
And by hunting, Sergey meant we'd be stationed in a heated
hunting blind while his bodyguards scattered bags of
corn into a lit area that we'd fire into with a sniper rifle.
Not exactly sportsman like, but a lot of fun.
SERGEY VEREMEENKO: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
[GUN SHOTS]
SERGEY VEREMEENKO: Congratulations.
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
RYAN DUFFY: We've been up for 48 hours.
And we've been drinking vodka since 2 PM.
But Sergey says it's time to go to the sauna.
So it's time to go to the sauna.
We've got our hats.
We've got our robes.
SERGEY VEREMEENKO: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
RYAN DUFFY: I don't know what that means, probably not good.
SERGEY VEREMEENKO: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
RYAN DUFFY: The saying in the United States, Sergey, is it's
not gay if it feels good.
How have things changed?
Obviously, over the last two decades, Russia has undergone
dramatic changes.
Where do you see this going?
SERGEY VEREMEENKO: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
RYAN DUFFY: Oh yeah.
SERGEY VEREMEENKO: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
RYAN DUFFY: This seems like a really bad idea.
SERGEY VEREMEENKO: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
RYAN DUFFY: Oh!
[LAUGHTER]
Yeah!
SERGEY VEREMEENKO: [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
RYAN DUFFY: Oh, Jesus Christ.
SERGEY VEREMEENKO: Cheers.
RYAN DUFFY: Cheers.
Fuck all.
[RUSSIAN MUSIC PLAYING]