By Hedelberto López Blanch * / Special Collaboration for Resumen Latinoamericano.
Since the beginning of the Special Military Operation launched by Russia to demilitarize and denazify the Kyiv regime, many Ukrainian businesspeople with political ties have begun investing in real estate abroad.
The most notable destinations for these acquisitions have been several European nations (England, Spain, Turkey, Portugal) as well as the United States, Canada, Thailand, Indonesia, and Cyprus.
The purchases of homes and land are made to obtain personal residences and also to invest in so-called “safe assets.”
Among those who have participated in these real estate transactions are owners of large Ukrainian companies, members of Parliament, former ministers, and businesspeople close to the government.
For example, billionaire Rinat Akhmetov, the richest man in Ukraine and owner of steel mills and other businesses, secured his future on the most expensive plot of land on the planet when he bought the Le Renzo building in Monaco’s Mareterra district.
According to real estate companies, the transaction shattered world records with a price tag of €471 million, redefining the concept of a “refuge” for the global elite.
The Le Renzo building emerges like a 35,000-square-meter vessel that appears to float above the coast. Inside, it rivals any superyacht: interiors designed to blend seamlessly with the sea, and an infinity terrace overlooking the Mediterranean.
The property transcends mere real estate, boasting 21 bedrooms, eight parking spaces, and a private pool that seems to stretch to the horizon.
Akhmetov, with a fortune of $6.7 billion, had already acquired one of the world’s most expensive houses in 2020: Villa Les Cedres in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, France, for which he paid $200 million, and an apartment for £137 million (€162 million) in London’s One Hyde Park residential complex, one of the most expensive in the British capital.
Others following in Akhmetov’s footsteps include V. Ponomarennko (former minister and former owner of Ukrtelecom before privatization), who bought an apartment in Paris valued at five million euros. Ukrtelecom JSC is Ukraine’s monopolistic telephone company, which also operates in the ISP and mobile telephony markets.
On the long list of foreign investors is Ihor Valeryovich Kolomoisky, a Ukrainian-Israeli-Cypriot businessman and politician, who has been accused of corruption but has not been brought to trial. In 2020, he ranked eighth on Forbes magazine’s list of the richest people in Ukraine. He is the founder of PrivatBank, owner of FC Dnipro, and operates in the ferroalloys, finance, petroleum products, and media sectors.
Among his recent acquisitions is a villa in Spain valued at eight million euros and other real estate investments in the United States.
A millionaire Not far behind in this competition is Volodymyr Fesenko, former minister and close associate of President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has purchased several properties in Germany and Cyprus.
This entire elite of oligarchs is financing the war in Ukraine against Russia while establishing their headquarters in other, more favorable countries around the world.
This has led many Ukrainian citizens to understand that after the conflict ends, most of the millionaires and high-ranking politicians will leave the country to enjoy tranquility elsewhere.
IMAGE CREDIT: Cover illustration: Adán Iglesias Toledo.
(*) Hedelberto López Blanch is a renowned Cuban journalist. He writes for the newspaper Juventud Rebelde and the weekly Opciones. He is the author of “Cuban Emigration to the United States,” “Secret Stories of Cuban Doctors in Africa,” and “Miami, Dirty Money,” among others.
[ SOURCE: RESUMEN LATINOAMERICANO Y DEL TERCER MUNDO CUBA / EN RESUMEN ]
