经济学人220:俄罗斯的寡头执政者

 　　Russian oligarchs

　　俄罗斯的寡头执政者

　　Yukos 2.0?

　　尤思科2.0？

　　The arrest of Vladimir Yevtushenkov recalls that of Mikhail Khodorkovsky

　　软禁弗拉基米尔·叶夫图申科让人们回想起霍多尔科夫斯基

　　THE rules should be familiar to Vladimir Yevtushenkov, an oligarch with a 7 billion fortune who runs Sistema, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is in telecoms, tourism and oil. The state, he said in June, “will always find a way to put you in your place.” Now Mr Yevtushenkov is under house arrest, accused of money-laundering and handling stolen assets. Sistema lost over a third of its value in one day and the Russian stockmarket fell by 2%.

　　Sistema的寡头执政者弗拉基米尔·叶夫图申科对于一些规则理应是很熟悉的，他坐拥70亿美元财富并独掌这家业务范围涵盖通信，旅游，石油的上市公司。今年6月他曾表示：“这个国家总是能找到方法让你待在该待的地方。”而现在，叶夫图申科先生被指控洗钱和盗用资产，现在正遭到软禁。Sistema公司在一日之内失去了近三分之一的市值，并且在俄罗斯证券交易所的股价也下跌了2%。

　　霍多尔科夫斯基.jpg

　　Parallels have been drawn¹ with the arrest of Mikhail Khodorkovsky in 2003 and the transfer of assets in his oil company, Yukos, to Rosneft, a rival now run by Igor Sechin, a confidant of President Vladimir Putin. Dmitry Peskov, Mr Putin's press secretary, claimed that “It is wrong and absurd to paint this story in a political light.” Russia has changed since 2003. Before, security servicemen needed a political motive² to take from disobedient oligarchs. Now obedience³ is no defence.

　　相似的故事在2003年时就已经上演过了，当时随着霍多尔科夫斯基的入狱，尤思科石油公司的财产也转移到了由普京心腹伊格尔·谢钦掌管的俄罗斯石油公司手中。普京的新闻发言人声称“将此次事件赋予政治因素，不仅是错误的，也是荒谬的”从2003年开始俄罗斯已经发生了改变。在那之前，证券行业的变动必须遵从来自那些反抗派的寡头执政者的政治动机。而现在，这种顺从已经毫无意义。

　　Whatever Mr Yevtushenkov's sins, they are not the source of his trouble. His loyalty⁴ to the Kremlin is unquestioned. The real cause seems to be his reluctance⁵ to part with an oil company wanted by Mr Sechin. Sistema bought Bashneft in 2009 for 2.5 billion from the son of a regional boss in Bashkortostan who, according to law enforcers, had expropriated it from the state. Rosneft proposed buying it from Mr Yevtushenkov, but he found the offer too low. House arrest may help him to change his mind.

　　事实上，叶夫图申科的罪行似乎并不是问题的根源。毫无疑问，他对克里姆林宫是忠诚的的。真正的原因似乎是他不愿意将一家石油公司卖给谢钦。2009年Sistema以25亿美元的价格从巴什科尔托斯坦地方政府手中收购了Bashneft公司—该公司根据法律被强制收归为国有。俄罗斯石油公司计划从叶夫图申科手中购入，但是叶夫图申科认为报价太低。也许这次软禁能改变他的想法。

　　Renewed infighting within the Russian elite⁶ reflects Western sanctions and a weakening economy. Rosneft is struggling to refinance 26 billion of debt due by the end of 2015. Oil production is falling, and the company needed some success to show Mr Putin. A takeover of Bashneft could cover its failings. This is Mr Khodorkovsky's view. He told Vedomosti, a business daily, that Mr Sechin “has not become any wiser, but perhaps just greedier.” The fight for the spoils in Russia can only grow more desperate.

　　俄罗斯精英阶层再次出现内斗，反应了西方制裁和日渐衰退的经济状况。俄罗斯石油公司正在努力筹集260亿美元资金，以在2015年时偿还债务。石油产量日渐下滑，公司需要给普京展现一些成就。如果能成功接管Bashneft ，那么就能掩盖它的衰退迹象。这正是霍多尔科夫斯基的观点，他告诉商业日报—Vedomosti：相比以往谢钦没有丝毫进步，反而可能只是更加贪婪。对于俄罗斯“战利品”的争夺只会令人更加绝望。

1 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

2 motive   

n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的

参考例句：

• The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
• He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

3 obedience   

n.服从，顺从

参考例句：

• Society has a right to expect obedience of the law.社会有权要求人人遵守法律。
• Soldiers act in obedience to the orders of their superior officers.士兵们遵照上级军官的命令行动。

4 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

5 reluctance   

n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿

参考例句：

• The police released Andrew with reluctance.警方勉强把安德鲁放走了。
• He showed the greatest reluctance to make a reply.他表示很不愿意答复。

6 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。