Miss Tolstoy spent eight years living "in Putin's circle" and believes he has "narcissistic personality disorder"
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Vladimir Putin’s oligarchs make the Godfather films look like Disney's Frozen, Countess Alexandra Tolstoy has told GB News.
Ms Tolstoy, who was married to Russian billionaire Sergei Pugachev, described the ruthlessness she observed first-hand from some of Russia’s richest people.
“I spent eight years I would say living in Putin’s circle, I was in the same room as him a couple of times, I lived in this oligarch’s world,” Ms Tolstoy told GB News’ Eamonn Holmes.
She continued: “I can say that it makes the Godfather look like Frozen. It is ruthless, these people have no empathy they have no normal human emotions.”
The iconic Godfather films focus on a powerful Italian-American crime family as Michael (Al Pacino) reluctantly joins the Mafia.
It recognises the rewards of money and power in return for a Mafia life, but at the grave cost of violence and threats.
Ms Tostoy’s comment comes as Russia’s oligarchs are targeted by Western countries in response to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
It is hoped imposing economic sanctions on Russia’s wealthy who are closely tied to the Kremlin will pile the pressure on Putin to withdraw his troops.
While many believe Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is part of a bid to defend legacy as a leader, Ms Tolstoy disagrees.
“I’ve seen a lot of experts talking about Putin’s legacy I don’t think its that. I think he has narcissistic personality disorder and it’s much more about a bruised ego.
"It’s very personal and he sees his ego diminished by the West and he’s just lashing out,” she said.
