Moreover, the privatization and break-up of state assets left over from the Soviet Union, which he played a big part in, led to much of the country's wealth being handed to a small group of powerful business executives, later known as the Russian oligarchs, for much less than what they were worth.
Gajdar spillede en vigtig rolle i nedbrydningen af sovjetunionens statslige aktiver og store dele af landets rigdomme, der privatiseredes og blev overdraget til en lille gruppe magtfulde erhvervsledere, senere kendt som de russiske oligarker, for langt mindre end de var værd.