Putin gives Order of Merit to longtime friend and “wallet” Sergei Roldugin, hands out state honors to 27 propagandists from Channel One

On Sept. 18, a decree issued by Vladimir Putin awarded the Order of Merit to the Fatherland, 3rd Class, to cellist Sergei Roldugin, who is best known not for his music, but for his role as a “wallet” — or a “secret caretaker” of the Russian leader’s unofficial wealth.…