, Columnist
Why Russians Are Choosing Malta Over Putin
A controversial passport-selling scheme is proving irresistible to business elites.
Jilted.
Photographer: Alexey Nikolsky/AFP -- Getty ImagesDespite growing hostility between Russia and the West, President Vladimir Putin clearly hasn't succeeded in convincing the Russian business community that it should be more patriotic. The list of new citizens of Malta, published by the island nation's government, has enough well-known Russian names to drive home an uncomfortable truth for the Kremlin: The Russian elite doesn't feel attached to Putin's besieged fortress project.