Some of the world's wealthiest individuals have been under intense scrutiny.

They have been hit by a series of sanctions because of Russia&s invasion of Ukraine, which the US government has accused Russian forces of committing war crimes.

A professor of political science at the University of California, Los Angeles came up with the term silovarchs in 2006 after seeing a new business elite in the 1990s.

The term combines two words. The latter refers to people of force, and includes leading officials from the security services and law enforcement.

According to Treisman, there is not a lot of political influence held by oligarchs. He said that silovarchs are more powerful.

According to Hugo Crosthwaite, a lead analyst for Eurasia at security intelligence firm Dragonfly, siloviki are part of Putin's close circle. The argument is that the president would be a silovik because he was a member of the KGB.

The point with siloviki is that they are part of the regime of President Putin and not a separate group.

Who are the silovarchs?

The general directors and veterans of the KGB are some of the most well-known silovarchs.

Alexei Miller is the CEO of the silovarch empire because he is a supplier of energy to it.

The CEO of the oil company that was used as one of Putin's key tools is considered the strongest influence in Russia. Sechin was a military interpreter in the 1980's.

One of the most ideological silovarchs called for closer ties between the Slavic nations and a revival of Orthodox Christian values. He was the former president of Russian Railways.

The son of the head of the Russian security service was appointed a personal adviser to the CEO of the Russian oil company.

After cross-verification of their implications in the armed forces, a list of all other individuals would be considered silovarchs.

How powerful are silovarchs? 

The companies are controlled by the silovarchs through their positions on the boards. The siloviki want to restore respect for law enforcement, enhance presidential powers, and clean up the media in order to fix the problems created by the oligarchs.

When we look at the overall positions that they occupy, we can say with some confidence that they clearly have a considerable amount of sway within the Russian state.

The system that Putin has constructed means thatproximity to him is vital to safeguard one's own interests as a member of the siloviki.

He concluded that it was a small group of people around the president who were the source of power.