Putin pleasant face
© Alexei Druzhinin, Kremlin Pool/Associated PRessRussian President Vladimir Putin, right, attends a meeting with students in Yaroslavl, Russia, Friday, Sept. 1, 2017.
What if we all woke up one morning and everybody understood the Russian mentality? Just think, instead of listening to fairytales about Russia and Vladimir Putin, the world would be able to swiftly wade through mountains of negative bullshit to see the truth. This is the story of the "other" Vladimir Putin, the one whose meager salary and means were just revealed.

The angry pirates that tried to rob Russians of their legacy hate Vladimir Putin. They also hate the Russia Putin and his colleagues are trying to lift up. The Bill Browders, Mikhail Khodorkovskys, George Soros, and even Russian media tycoons like Vladimir Gusinsky are the poster boys for the banking elite's vendetta against Russia's leader. Browder got a crooked U.S. Congress to pass the Magnitsky Act, a ludicrous law to punish Russia and Putin for not knuckling under to the supra-capitalists bent on stealing their country's vast wealth. But the larger plan grows more evident with each passing Washington Post Russophobia story.

The latest wrongful and ignorant rampage against Putin concerns his "alleged" wealth. Hours after the Kremlin released the Russian leader's salary and net worth statistics, the ravaging liberal order wolves howled in pain about expensive wristwatches Putin owns. This Quartz story is typical. According to the "geniuses" of western economic, Putin is worth in between $70 and $200 billion dollars. He is also the 21st Century version of the Wizard of Oz for his ability to totally hide the vastest horde of wealth ever accumulated by a single person (Sarcasm a must).

This mysterious wealth is complete hearsay. From the Washington Post to screwball sites like Wealthy Gorilla, the Russian leader's bankroll is ???? just because somebody said so. Browder got the Putin wealth fantasy going when he claimed the former KGB officer hoarded $200 billion at about the same time the Hermitage Capital boss was put on Russia's Most Wanted list. But all the speculation is just that. The propaganda takes advantage of the fact most westerners do not understand the Russians.

Putin does not need money. This is the simple reality no Putin expert brings to the forefront. Think about what I am saying here. Every "expert" you read or hear discussing Vladimir Putin leaves off the simple person behind the fantasy. I've discussed Putin's past and his rise to power many times, and nowhere in his character is there a glimmer of oligarch selfishness. Forget the fact that no one can find this imaginary treasure horde. Leave off all outward appearances of the Russian leader's life. To know Putin is to study his devotion to family, to service, and to the larger plan for Russia.

What if all those watches were gifted to Putin? Can you imagine Vladimir Putin having to whip out his credit card anytime he goes to dinner? What about transportation? Housing? A boat ride along the Volga? Do you think Vladimir Putin will EVER need a single rouble for the rest of his life? The man saved Russian businessmen, Russian soldiers, Russian doctors and lawyers and fishermen from the biggest robbery in human history - and the "experts" wonder from the capitalist billionaire mentality. Let's say, for the sake of argument, that Putin does want to see the return of the U.S.S.R. Did Stalin maintain vast coffers of coins to fund his vacations? When Nikita Khrushchev died did they discover Italian villas and Swiss bank accounts? How about Leonid Brezhnev? Please take the time to read this declassified CIA report on Brezhnev to gain insight into the Russian mentality. Maybe Lenin's great-grandchildren live lifestyles like Paris Hilton or Donald Trump's kids? No, the last relative of Lenin is Dmitry Ulyanov, an Orthodox priest in the western Russian city of Ivanovo. Lenin's niece Olga Ulyanova, a writer, passed away back in 2011 leaving no fortune.

Before you accept the Vladimir Putin his vast army of adversaries claim he is, try using common objectivity in the absence of truth. Why would 10,000 newspapers, a horde of think tanks, western intelligence agencies, the globalist elites, and even Hollywood stars accuse Vladimir Putin without a shred of proof? The answer grows more evident with current events such as the incarceration of journalist and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The "proof" of all wrongdoing does not reside in the Putin camp. Western technocrats, oligarchs, hedge funders, and elite bankers stink to high heavens and we can prove their brand of larceny - but Putin is still the criminal? It's gotten to the point where villainizing Putin is a kind of crucifixion. I just hope Russia's savior is not suffering for no good reason.

Finally, when you get the time to research a bit, try to figure out how media like Business Insider put their retail shopping reporters on the case of Vladimir Putin. A story entitled "9 Vladimir Putin quotes that offer terrifying insights into his mind," by Aine Cain, who usually covers Walmart, Target, and Costco, reveals the idiocy intelligent people are asked to believe. Cain's story entitled was republished by The Independent in the UK without so much as a glance into the author's experience. You get it, right? Even the Walmart experts have been assigned to do the criminal profile of the world's richest man. Here, you can read about how Costco looked when it first opened back in 1983. Maybe that retail store is where Putin's vast riches are hidden!

Vladimir Putin has no need of vast fortunes. His name is all he wants or needs. I rest my "expert" case.
Phil Butler, is a policy investigator and analyst, a political scientist and expert on Eastern Europe, he's an author of the recent bestseller Putin's Praetorians and other books. He writes exclusively for the online magazine "New Eastern Outlook."