It is noteworthy that while sanctions and other restrictions have affected the fortunes of Russian oligarchs, they are still measured in the tens of billions of dollars.
Photo: GLOBAL LOOK PRESS
Do you remember last year’s sobs from some Russian oligarchs? Like, there is no money even for a cleaner, do not go to a restaurant. British authorities blocked the accounts of Mikhail Fridman, Pyotr Aven and dozens of other wealthy Russians living in London last spring.
The first two, judging by the British media reports, were allocated 2,500 pounds a month (at the current exchange rate – about 250 thousand rubles). That’s the cost of living in a city like London. An immigrant from some Pakistan will continue to live on such an amount and will even be able to send half of it to his homeland, but for our oligarchs such a drop in living standards was catastrophic.
Maybe I should clean the house myself. This is good. As a student, she lived in a small dormitory with four other men. But 35 years later, this is unexpected,” said Mikhail Fridman last spring.
– Will I now be allowed to hire a cleaning lady or a driver? I don’t know how to drive alone… Maybe my stepdaughter will drive? We do not know how to survive, – said Peter Aven in an interview.
True, judging by the data of American journalists, our oligarchs did not have to live on bread and water, or learn to independently drive a mop and a car. His lawyers defended their clients’ rights to a comfortable life.
“Mikhail Fridman received almost $400,000 in 9 months of 2022. Friedman also received a monthly allowance of almost $9,000 to meet his family’s basic needs. Pyotr Aven, in turn, received about $77,000 a month,” writes the New York Times.
As the newspaper explains, the system is arranged that way. Entrepreneurs from Russia who fell under the sanctions, but at the same time living in the UK, receive special licenses from local authorities (read – “discounts”). For example, in 2022, 82 wealthy people received them. That is, in order to pay more, you need to bow to local officials. As a rule, surrounded by local lawyers who take part of the amount in the form of fees.
But our rich people bought houses in London just to calm down, away from the unpredictable Russian authorities, to spend their retirement years. They hoped that in the bastion of democracy they would be able to dispose of the billions exported from Russia without delay. But the Foggy Albion authorities did not stop at the ceremony. They expropriated everything they could get their hands on. Furthermore, it seems that the eternally neutral Swiss did the same.
– All personal and family accounts are blocked, personal assets and family assets are seized. Operations are strictly limited. As an individual, I am not allowed to enter the EU. The kids don’t see their friends, they miss their toys, and they ask questions I can’t answer. Europe can no longer be considered a safe place for foreigners. Here you can become the object of persecution because of your nationality, – another Russian oligarch, Andrey Melnichenko, complained to Swiss journalists.
It should be noted that while sanctions and other restrictions have affected the size of the fortunes of Russian oligarchs, they are still measured in the tens of billions of dollars (for more details, see the chart). True, this is partly nominal wealth. If you are in European banks, then in order to access it, you need to lean. These are now the traditions of Western democracy.
ONLY NUMBERS
Photo: VALIULIN nail
