No. Nothing to do with current criminal oligarchs, that are consolidating businesses by robbing owners of companies by overtaking their business with force and access to state and Putin. Like it was with conflict with division of Wildberies, when owner had to cooperate with Chechen mafia so her ex-husband would not have robbed her of her business.

Hodorkovsky became oligarch, because he represented Western investors in very profitable oil industry, that is basically what Russia was able to offer to the world, as most of factories from Soviet times were not usable in market economy - nobody wanted what they produced. That is the reason why many people were having hardships in 1990ies, because they had no job and no money to exist. Only in times of Putin Russia had influx of foreign money from oil and gas, which was redistributed to other people as well. But everything is fleeting in Russia.

Same thing would happen. There'd be signs on every street light pole "Sell your AI shares. CASH PAID TODAY!!"

Reminds me of this somewhat related video that describes the process of selling off state industries in East Germany

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cdrSiIoWm7U&pp=ygUMZ2RyIHRyZXV...

A bottle of vodka for your shares, comrade. Etc...

This makes them sound stupid, but there was a lot of outright theft and threats going around too.

Yes. Did not mean any disrespect. I have a bunch of friends from Russia living now abroad who has been telling stories from those years.