As reported in the WSJ on 6 Dec. Russian oligarch and former Russian Minister of Agriculture Alexander Tkachov took control of 400,000 acres of Ukrainian farmland in the newly occupied territories. The land ended up in the hands of his company Agrocomplex.

Taking farmland by Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republic officials all dressed up in a little bit of authority and sometimes in groups carrying guns visit local farms to let the farmers know who’s in charge.

Through Agrocomplex, Alexander Tkachov also owns a sprawling vineyard on the Black Sea aka the Putin Riviera. The winery, with its regal French Renaissance-style castle @chateau_de_talu / Instagram, is situated nearby in the outskirts of the resort town of Gelendzhik.

Do you think, my dears, that we could have warned each of you?

Prior to joining the ranks of Russian oligarchs, Tkachov was renown for his heartless remark as the long-serving head of southern Russia’s Krasnodar region during a televised meeting with furious residents who were left homeless after flash flooding over a weekend in early July of 2012.

As Krasnodar’s former governor he was one of the main figures behind the most expensive ever 2014 Sochi Olympic Games.