The mysterious death of the teenager who posed as a Russian billionaire

神秘少年假扮俄罗斯亿万富翁之死

Today in Focus

2026-05-11

32 分钟
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The journalist Patrick Radden Keefe on trying to unravel the double life and tragic death of 19-year-old Zac Brettler – and what it tells us about London’s dark underbelly. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
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  • This is The Guardian.

  • Today, the teenager who pretended to be a Russian billionaire and was found dead in the River Thames.

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  • Decades, London has been a magnet for global wealth.

  • Flashy playground for the super rich.

  • To one teenage boy, it contained an elite scene he desperately wanted to be part of.

  • The oligarch class.

  • Not just rich, but powerfully connected billionaires who amassed such huge fortunes with so few questions asked.

  • They helped turn London into what was called the dirty money capital of the world.

  • Zach Brettler began posing as the son of one.