Asset Appreciation and Predatory Raiding in Russia

Changing Value, Changing Hands

Ararat L. Osipian

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2026
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• eBook ISBN:
  9781040625248
• Subtopic: Russian Politics
• Index: Politics & International Relations

This book presents a theoretical and empirical investigation of predatory raiding in Russia. Predatory raiding in Russia is the process of depriving lawful owners of their businesses and property with the help of criminal methods, including corruption, fraud, and violence, wrapped in the clothes of legality. The book argues that significant changes in value of corporations, property, and land in Russia incentivize predatory raiders. The appreciation of economic assets influences predatory raiders' decision-making regarding the selection of potential targets for hostile takeovers. Unlike Western corporate raiders, who target weak companies in financial distress, Russian predatory raiders target primarily the most profitable, lucrative or economically promising companies, as well as private and public property, and land. Russian predatory raiders give clear preference to non-economic instruments for staging hostile takeovers. These comprise legal battles, corruption, fraud, intimidation and violence. Russian predatory raiders are distinctive for their frequent use of force, threat of force, or violence, as applied to businesses and property owners. This research relies on extensive video footage of violent hostile takeovers to draw inferences about the phenomenon of predatory raiding in Russia. In defining the perspective directions for the corporate predatory raiding movement and the anti-raiding campaign, the process of re-valuation of assets may be more important than the mass privatization of the 1990s.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• List of illustrations
• Preface
• Acronyms and abbreviations
• Note on transliteration and translation
• 1. Raiding in Russia: An introduction
• 2. Comparing corporate and predatory raiding: The West, Russia, and beyond
• 3. Corporate predatory raiding in Russia: Institutional aspects
• 4. Fabergé eggs revisited: Asset revaluation and raiding in Russia
• 5. National wealth in Russia: Stockbuilding and asset appreciation
• 6. Raiding plants and factories: The usual targets of predatory raiders
• 7. Raiding restaurants and markets: New targets of predatory raiders
• 8. Residents against developers: Raiding urban territories
• 9. Farmers against holdings: Raiding agricultural land
• 10. Conclusion: Changing Value, Changing Hands
• Index