Conversation so far:
what were the oligarchs during privatization under boris yeltsin.?
giveaways of valuable state assets to a small group of tycoons in finance, industry, energy, telecommunications, and the media who came to be known as "oligarchs.
What did privatization have to do with it?
Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Yeltsin promoted privatization as a way of spreading ownership of shares in former state enterprises.

Question: why did he do this?
Self-contained rewrite: why did Boris Yeltsin promote privatization as a way of spreading ownership of shares in former state enterprises?