Russian oligarchs foot most of 2014 Sochi Olympics

World News

FILE - In this Wednesday, Jan, 2, 2008 file photo Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, listens to the state-controlled natural gas monopoly Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller as they tour the newly opened alpine ski center that will be used in the 2014 Olympics at Krasnaya Polyana in the southern Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi. The names of Russia’s business powerhouses have taken over the mountains of Sochi, now the home of Potanin’s slope, Gazprom’s gondola lift and Sberbank’s ski jump. These names, used by local residents and an army of construction workers, leave no doubt about who is paying for next year’s Winter Games. (AP Photo/ RIA Novosti, Dmitry Astakhov, Presidential Press Service, File)

More from this Slideshow

0 of 0

Russian oligarch... FILE - In this Wednesday, Jan, 2, 2008 file photo Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, listens to the state-controlled natural gas monopoly Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller as they tour the newly opened alpine ski center that will be used in the 2014 Olympics at Krasnaya Polyana in the southern Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi. The names of Russia’s business powerhouses have taken over the mountains of Sochi, now the home of Potanin’s slope, Gazprom’s gondola lift and Sberbank’s ski jump. These names, used by local residents and an army of construction workers, leave no doubt about who is paying for next year’s Winter Games. (AP Photo/ RIA Novosti, Dmitry Astakhov, Presidential Press Service, File)
Who is building ... FILE - In this Thursday, Oct. 14, 2010 file photo, then, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, second right, Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone, second left, and Oleg Deripaska, toast after a signing ceremony in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, southern Russia. Oleg Deripaska's Basic Element, insists its projects were all designed to be profitable. The company is building an Olympic village and a seaport and has just finished revamping the Sochi airport, for a combined cost of $1.4 billion. (AP Photo/Mikhail Metzel, File)
Israeli seeks in... File - In this Jan.16, 2013 file photo, Yair Lapid, popular former TV anchorman and head of the new centrist party Yesh Atid, poses for a portrait at his house during an interview for the Associated Press, in Tel Aviv, Israel. Lapid, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s senior coalition partner, said in a published interview Sunday, May 19, 2013, that reaching a final peace agreement with the Palestinians is unrealistic at the current time and that the sides should instead pursue an interim arrangement. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty, File)
Honeybees traine... In this Wednesday, May 15, 2013 photo, a scientist inspects bees during a scientific experiment at the Faculty of Agriculture at Zagreb University. Croatian researches, working on a unique method to find unexploded mines that are littering their country and the rest of the Balkans, are confident they can use bees for detecting land mines. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
Boats carrying f... Internally displaced Rohingya boys shiver in rain in a makeshift camp for Rohingya people in Sittwe, northwestern Rakhine State, Myanmar, ahead of the arrival of Cyclone Mahasen, Tuesday, May 14, 2013. The U.N. said the cyclone, expected later this week, could swamp makeshift housing camps sheltering tens of thousands of Rohingya. Myanmar state television reported Monday that 5,158 people were relocated from low-lying camps in Rakhine state to safer shelters. But far more people are considered vulnerable. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)
Bombs targeting ... Iraqis gather at the scene of a bomb attack in Baqouba, northeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, May 17, 2013. A bomb killed dozens of people at a Sunni mosque in central Iraq, hitting worshippers as they were emerging from Friday prayers, security officials said. The attack in Baqouba comes after two days of attacks, many in Shiite districts, left tens of people dead. Attacks against Sunni mosques have also been on the rise recently, raising fears that the country is slipping into a new round of sectarian violence. (AP Photo/Adem Hadei)
Syrian state med... In this Saturday, May 18, 2013 citizen journalism image provided by Qusair Lens which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows Syrians inspecting the rubble of damaged buildings due to government airstrikes, in Qusair, Homs province, Syria. The town of Qusair has been besieged for weeks by regime troops and pro-government gunmen backed by the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group. The siege is part of a withering offensives forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad have been pushing in recent weeks to regain control of the towns and villages along the Lebanese frontier. (AP Photo/Qusair Lens)
Tunisia security... A Tunisian security officer stands guard in the city of Kairouan where ultraconservative Islamic group, Ansar al-Shariah's, annual conference was supposed to be held, Sunday May 19, 2013. A massive Tunisian security presence has surrounded the country’s main religious center of Kairouan and prevented hardline Muslims from holding their annual gathering. Some 11,000 police surrounded the city this weekend and patrolled inside to prevent the conference from taking place because “of the threat it represented to security and public order.” (AP Photo/ Amine Landoulsi)
Cannes helps act... Actress Berenice Bejo poses for portraits at during the 66th international film festival, in Cannes, southern France, Saturday, May 18, 2013. (AP Photo/Laurent Emmanuel)
US, Turkey proje... President Barack Obama smiles as Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during their joint news conference in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Thursday, May 16, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Caribbean talks ... A statue decorates the pool area of Richard Branson's property on Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands, Friday, May 17, 2013. Political and business leaders gathered here Friday to back an initiative aimed at expanding protection for the Caribbean's imperiled coasts and waters. Delegations from the participating governments signed a communique pledging to establish a framework for a regional approach to coastal conservation, including “increasing considerably the number of marine protected areas.” They also said they recognized an urgent need to protect sharks and rays, and vowed a “dramatic acceleration in the transition from fossil fuels to alternative energy sources over the next five years.” (AP Photo/Todd VanSickle)
Syrian troops pu... This citizen journalism image provided by Qusair Lens which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows Syrian rebels preparing to repel a coordinated attack by government forces, in Qusair, Homs province, Syria, Sunday, May 19, 2013. Syrian troops backed by tanks and warplanes launched an assault Sunday on a strategic rebel-held town near the Lebanese border, pounding the area with airstrikes and artillery salvos that killed tens of people and forced residents to scramble for cover in basements and makeshift bunkers, activists said. (AP Photo/Qusair Lens)