Mikhalkov Turned Out to Be Russia's Richest Propagandist
Director and TV host Nikita Mikhalkov, who actively supports Kremlin policies and Russia’s war against Ukraine, earned about 270 million rubles, or approximately $3.4 million, in the most recent year for which data is available. In addition, he has over 2.5 billion rubles in his bank accounts, which earn him about 515 million rubles in interest per year.
Mikhalkov’s main source of income is his film company, “Studio TRITE,” of which he remains a co-owner. According to “Verстка,” the director receives tens of millions of rubles from the company every month. In addition, he receives payments from the “Rossiya” television channel, state and state-affiliated cultural organizations, as well as the Union of Cinematographers and the Russian Union of Rights Holders.
Mikhalkov also derives significant income from bank deposits. According to investigators, his accounts at Promsvyazbank and VTB alone hold approximately 1.1 billion rubles each. The total amount of funds on deposit at these financial institutions exceeds 2.5 billion rubles.
At the same time, Mikhalkov hosts the propaganda program “Besogon,” in which, since the start of the full-scale invasion, he has regularly promoted Kremlin narratives about Ukraine, the West, and the war. His company also receives state funding for showing excerpts from the program in Russian schools and the military.
By comparison, the highest-paid Russian war correspondent, Boris Rozhin, earned about 29 million rubles in the most recent available year—nearly ten times less than Mikhalkov’s annual income. In total, the 63 propagandists investigated by “Verstka” collectively earned about 3 billion rubles in the most recent available year.
Earlier, the Kremlin removed propagandist Kiselev from Vesti Nedeli.
Previously, the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) released data on six more Russian propagandists.
Earlier, Azerbaijan issued an international arrest warrant for three Russian propagandists.
Prior to that, Azerbaijan had expressed its readiness to supply gas to Ukraine.
As a reminder, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov arrived in Kyiv on Thursday, August 6, for an official visit. During the trip, he is scheduled to hold talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Sybiga and other high-ranking Ukrainian officials.
On July 29, the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy reported that nearly 40 metric tons of equipment from Azerbaijan had been delivered via the ministry’s hub to one of the regional railway divisions.
