Homo Novus

The New Russians (Russian: новые русские, romanized: novye russkie) is a term referring to members of a newly rich social class in the Commonwealth of Independent States who made vast fortunes in the 1990s (also referred to as "the wild nineties") in Russia following the collapse of the Soviet Union. It is perceived as a stereotypical caricature. According to the stereotype, "New Russians" achieved rapid wealth by using criminal methods during Russia's chaotic transition to a market economy. In the 1990s, "New Russians" became a staple of jokes that played on stereotypes about businessmen.