- The ex-partner of a Russian oligarch said the way Putin and his inner circle rule is "ruthless."
- Alexandra Tolstoy was together with Sergei Pugachev for eight years during which she got a front-row look at Putin's reign.
- "They all hate each other. They're very competitive. They don't trust each other," she told CNN.
The ex-partner of Russian oligarch Sergei Pugachev — also known as Russian President Vladimir Putin's former banker — called the way Putin and his inner-circle rule "ruthless."
"Putin, like any dictator, he rules through dividing rules," Alexandra Tolstoy told CNN's Erin Burnett Thursday.
"They all hate each other. They're very competitive. They don't trust each other," she said of Putin and his inner circle made up of Russian oligarchs.
She continued: "And it's ruthless."
Pugachev once served as Putin's "banker," but the two have since had a falling out, and Pugachev no longer remains one of Putin's top aides.
Tolstoy was with Pugachev for eight years and the pair shares three children. She described their world as having "crazy, insane wealth" and "a complete lack of normal, human morals."
The couple's relationship is a subject of a BBC documentary called "The Countess and the Russian Banker," which is now streaming on Netflix.
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.