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Friday, December 09, 2022

Ukraine's Oligarchs in Exile

 While some people there are forced to huddle in shelters, the army incurs heavy losses on the frontlines, and tens of millions have been displaced in and outside of Ukraine, according to media reports, certain Ukrainian oligarchs and billionaires fled Ukraine with their families before the Russian invasion of February 24.

Some 1,800 kilometers away on the French Riviera, locals say that there are more luxury cars with Ukrainian license plates than before. 

One Ukrainian blogger has posted a picture of several suitcases full of cash — reportedly amounting to over $17 million (€16.1 million) and €1 million, which were found by Hungarian customs officials. 

Ihor Abramovych lives in the seaside resort of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, which is particularly popular with the super-rich. Russians and Ukrainians have long had luxury properties there. 

Corruption expert Zaliskhenko said that Abramovych and other lawmakers continued to try to exert influence from abroad. "Some of them are also involved with legislation from a distance," he said, adding that they had even tried to introduce bills digitally. The fact that they were not physically present in Ukraine was not grounds for losing a mandate, however, deputies working remotely did not receive a salary, he said.

The French-Ukrainian Association of the Cote d'Azur president , Iryna Bourdelles, said, "These people were not only part of a corrupt elite, but these people — and we are sure of this — are also responsible for this war in Ukraine because they called on Russia to come to Ukraine."

Ukraine: Pro-Russian oligarchs flee to French Riviera – DW – 12/08/2022

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