There is such a group of people living in Europe. They see doctors in Germany, drive yachts on the Côte d'Azur, attend private schools in britain... They are the Russian high society. Now, what is their situation under the haze of war?
Today is March 9, and the Russo-Ukrainian War is still going on.
Because of the war, the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom and other organizations and countries have imposed severe sanctions on Russia. The sanctions list includes Russian banks, more than 300 members of the Federal Duma of the Russian Federation, and numerous oligarchs.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced that the real estate, luxury cars and yachts of the sanctioned will be confiscated. German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said, "The assets and capital of oligarchs who send their children to private schools in Britain, own villas on the Côte d'Azur and shop on The Zeitgee must be identified and squeezed out." ”
Even British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whose Conservative Party has been receiving donations from Russia for years, now doesn't want to allow Russian-linked ships to enter London's ports anymore.
So, in Baden-Baden in Hesse, Germany, in London, in the luxury resort of the French Alps, in Courchevel... The rich Russians and their families are slowly disappearing.
Russian Celebrity Ball
The extravagance and exclusion of Russia's plutocrats
Lake Tegan
Tegernsee at the foot of the Bayern Alps is a great place for vacations and retreats, attracting many of Russia's richest people, one of whom is Alischer Usmanow, a friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who made his fortune on natural gas and metals.
Billionaire Usmanov
Years ago, Usmanov bought a house by the lake, including a houseboat.
But now, because of the Ukrainian-Russian war, because he was included in the sanctions list, Usmanov's life is not good.
On the evening of March 2, at the Lido Hotel in Rohtach-Egern, about 300 people, most of them old residents of Rohtach, were protesting against Usmanov. Some carried Ukrainian flags, some held posters of "Stop the War".
The demonstration was organized by Thomas Tomaschek, a Green Party spokesman for the Miesbach district. In fact, the demonstrations, which were supposed to pass directly through Usmanov's villa, were banned by the authorities.
Usmanov's estate on Lake Tegan
Usmanov is said to have stayed here until March 7, after which he left Munich on a private jet. So far, almost no one in the village had seen him. On March 8, he also resigned as president of the World Fencing Federation and complained in a statement about "unfair sanctions."
Usmanov's yacht "Dilbar" is moored in the Port of Hamburg
At the moment, no one thinks he will return to the small community of Lake Tegan again.
Baden-Baden
Located in Baden-Baden in the state of Baden-Württemberg, the city is a favorite ancient European city of Russians. Because the Russian poet Ivan Turgenev's novel "Smoke" about Baden-Baden is a Russian school reading.
Russian customers in front of luxury cabinets
A bust of Turgenev stands in The Kuhl Park in Baden-Baden.
It is reported that even in 2014, after Russia took control of the Crimean Peninsula, the number of Russian guests staying overnight in the city has dropped significantly due to the sanctions imposed by Western countries. In 2013, they accounted for 8%, and 6 years later they accounted for 4%. But that still puts Russians at the top of the tourist rankings.
Locally, Russian communities have been formed.
Brenner, for example, is a luxury hotel that serves Russians and has menus in Russian (Cyrillic).
Five-star hotel with rooms from EUR 1700 per night
In addition, there are specialized Russian dental clinics in the region.
But now, because of the war, the Russians in the city are also disappearing, and the city's citizens are also full of hostility towards the Russians.
Some hotels announced that they would no longer accept Russian guests, and some clinics showed signs of rejection of Russians. There are also fears that the Russians will henceforth be required to sign a statement to distance themselves from their president in the future ...
Courchevel
The Russian plutocrats, the Courchevel ski resort in the French Alps, which was the epitome of luxury and luxury before the start of the Russo-Ukrainian War.
Founded in 1946, the ski resort has 150 km of pistes.
It is reported that there are 8 Michelin-starred restaurants in the resort, and 3 of the 25 famous French palace hotels have also opened shops here. "The wines drunk by Russian businessmen are worth 40,000 euros."
There are also chalets worth 24 million euros, or even 31 million euros, including luxurious private pools, fitness rooms and cinemas...
Of course, when the rich ladies want to shop, they can find all the luxuries here. Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Balenciaga... As well as art galleries, diamond shops and fur boutiques.
Russian high society
Like other places where Russians like to vacation, it is now empty, with many Russians leaving 48 hours after the war began. At the same time, the locals don't seem to be welcoming them either.
Irona Kotlyuh, wife of the billionaire Nikolai Sarkisov, said she had been accused of violence about the war on Instagram. Later, unable to bear it, she took a helicopter and left...
Ilona Kotlach and her husband own a "cottage" worth 24 million euros locally.
According to the British newspaper The Times, the number of Russians in the region has fallen by 90% since the Russo-Ukrainian War.
London
London, in secret, has always been known as "London Grad". Because Money in Russia is now everywhere, Premier League clubs, Scottish estates, bookstores, newspapers, foundations, museums...
"London Grad"
In north London, a 100-year-old house stands on a hill protected by a brick wall and cast iron doors. Anyone hanging out here will be chased away by someone dressed in black and wearing sunglasses.
From the outside, you can't see what the building really looks like. The only thing that can be known is that it has a 20-meter swimming pool and a spa view, as well as an underground car park that can accommodate at least 25 limousines and a two-story cinema.
The private residence of Russia's richest man second only to Buckingham Palace
It is the second largest private residence in London, after Buckingham Palace. And it also belongs to Russia's super-rich.
At present, whether this luxurious "palace" still lives in its owner, because the current situation in Ukraine and Russia is also difficult to answer.
Tragedy of the European Union
The sanctions against Russia's plutocrats are actually a practice for EU countries to kill a thousand enemies and lose eight hundred.
According to the staff of the Sacher Hotel in Vienna, before the covid-19 pandemic, customers with Russian passports accounted for about five percent of all overnight stays. "They spend more than average, stay longer than average, and sleep in suites that are more expensive than average."
But now, Thatcher boss Matthias Winkler says he expects sales to fall 10 to 15 percent "because the war could cost us millions of dollars in turnover." ”
Yachts of the Russian rich
Oliver Herbst is a real estate agent who specializes in selling high-priced homes in Bayern. He offers properties priced between €5 million and €30 million, mostly in lake delivery houses, such as in Lake Starnberg, and the guests are mostly Russian.
Still, with sanctions and the devaluation of the ruble, "Russian investors will stay away from the German real estate market for many years," Herbst said.
In an interview with reporters, the head of tourism in Baden-Baden said she was concerned that local sanitation facilities, museums, luxury hotels and high-end boutiques would be affected by the loss of Russian tourists.
At local luxury fashion stores, such as Callisto Wagener, Russians contribute up to 50 percent of sales.
Among some employees, even 20% speak Russian. A sales manager told reporters that he sends greeting cards to 100 customers a year, "each of which consumes tens of thousands of euros in a single transaction," and a quarter of them are Russians.
At present, there are no official statistics on how much Russians spend in Europe to invest in villas, yachts and other luxury goods.
But according to official sources, the assets of Russian billionaires on the sanctions list worth about 25 billion euros in Germany may be frozen due to sanctions. These include stocks held by companies, securities, bank deposits, real estate, jets and ships.
According to the latest news, with the EU sanctions on Russia, more and more private planes from Russia have landed in Dubai, and yachts have begun to travel to the Maldives or Caribbean islands...