Russian cops drag flashy supercar owners out of their vehicles as they take part in Moscow rally
Russian police dragged flashy supercar owners out of their vehicles as they took part in a ‘Rich and Successful’ rally through Moscow, in a crackdown against extravagant displays of wealth.
Footage from the city showed police swooped against the wealthy drivers for flaunting their Western vehicles on Moscow’s streets, which came as huge numbers of Russian soldiers are dying in the war in Ukraine and the economy flounders.
Anger at the ostentatious display of wealth even led to a leading pro-Putin senator to call for the detained men to be sent to take part in the invasion of Ukraine.
Russian police swooped on a rally of expensive Western cars in Moscow, brutally detaining their ‘rich and successful’ owners. Pictured: Police are seen gathered around a row of parked supercars in Moscow during the crackdown
Police in Moscow claimed there was no permission given for the elite rally of around 170 Lamborghinis, Rolls-Royce Phantoms, Ferraris, Porsches, Hummer H1s, Chevrolet Corvette C8s, Audi RS5s, and Bentley Continental GT IIs.
Dozens of car owners were detained by armed police and their cars impounded for checks. Videos from around the city showed the flashy cars roaring through the Russian capital, before dozens of men were rounded up by the police.
Many were seen in handcuffs being forcibly led away by armoured officers.
Vladimir Putin is known to rage against Russian multi-millionaires and their scions who ostentatiously display their riches in front of the masses.
He once said: ‘In Soviet times, some people used to flaunt their wealth by implanting gold teeth, ideally front teeth, in order to demonstrate the size of their fortune.
‘Lamborghinis and other expensive toys are exactly those gold teeth.’
Dozens of car owners were detained by armed police and their cars impounded for checks
The wealth of a tiny group of oligarchs has grown astonishingly under Putin’s rule – yet he believes they should not flaunt their opulent toys. The issue is even more acute now, with Russia’s struggling economy hit by Western sanctions.
However, Putin’s own wealth has been called into question by opponents – such as Alexei Navalny – who claim the Russian president is vastly more wealthy than he lets on. Some suspect he is the richest person in the world – with more wealth than even Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Queen Elizabeth II.
Drivers intended to parade their cars in central Moscow with ‘Rich and Successful’ stickers. Tickets for the unofficial rally cost up to £4,200 including a breakfast and afterparty, but police smashed it before it got properly underway.
One seized by police was Oscar Liksutov, 17, son of Maksim Liksutov, head of the Moscow Transport Department.
He was not detained but escorted to the home of the top city official.
Police in Moscow claimed there was no permission given for the elite rally of around 170 Lamborghinis, Rolls-Royce Phantoms, Ferraris, Porsches, Hummer H1s, Chevrolet Corvette C8s, Audi RS5s, and Bentley Continental GT IIs
Pictured: A supercar is shown going through Moscow as officials cracked down on drivers
Rally organiser Alexei Khitrov, a 28-year-old cryptocurrency millionaire, has said: ‘The goal of this event is to gather all elite car owners and create an atmosphere for networking.’
When police moved in ‘at first I thought it was a joke’, he said. He queried who had ordered the crackdown, and why, claiming the authorities were informed in advance.
In acting against him, they were ‘extinguishing a most loyal person’.
A law enforcement source told TASS: ‘Currently, some of the participants have been identified. They will be taken to the police for investigation.’
Russian senator Mikhail Dzhabarov demanded ‘punishment’ for parading their Western cars.
‘They should be called to help the army,’ he demanded.
Drivers intended to parade their cars in central Moscow with ‘Rich and Successful’ stickers. Tickets for the unofficial rally cost up to £4,200 including a breakfast and afterparty, but police smashed it before it got properly underway. Pictured: Police detain supercar drivers
Rally organiser Alexei Khitrov (left), a 28-year-old cryptocurrency millionaire, has said: ‘The goal of this event is to gather all elite car owners and create an atmosphere for networking.’
Russian senator Mikhail Dzhabarov demanded ‘punishment’ for parading their Western cars
They would be useless for fighting at the front, he said, ‘But they are quite capable of helping in rear chores or as orderlies in military hospitals.’
This would help their brains to fall into place, he said.
The rally participants were suspected of breaking the same law that is used to crush political protests in Russia.
The law curbs ‘meetings, rallies, demonstrations, marches and picketing’.
One of the detained was Russian politician Alexander Donskoy, ex-mayor of Arkhangelsk, who once got into trouble for driving his Ferrari around a Moscow shopping mall.
Orthodox Patriarch Kirill has also attacked Russia’s golden youth for their flash Western cars.
‘If those of our people who have a lot of money would worry not only about the number of horsepower under their bonnets, and the number of floors in their houses, but also what those next to them think about it, then the psychological atmosphere in our country would be much better,’ he said.
