Putin's "Elite Capture" strategy:
"Of all the persuasion tools that the former lieutenant colonel of the KGB employs,
however, the most effective may be “elite capture” — offering attractive board positions
in Russian companies to former European leaders, including former German Chancellor
Gerhard Schröder, who last Friday took aim at Ukraine on his podcast for provoking
Russia and voicing his hope that “the saber-rattling from Ukraine will stop.”"
See:
https://news.yahoo.com/how-putin-has...221323602.html