Not so hidden assets

AUKRAINIAN newspaper has tracked down a string of properties in Spain supposedly belonging to sanctioned Russians, who support their country’s invasion of Ukraine.

Journalists from Ukrainska Pravda spent a week tracking down the luxury homes in Spain and then, armed with a drone, took photos they then published to the world.

The roll call of leading Russians all continue to enjoy their wealth and privileges in the West while endorsing and supporting the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine.

Among them is a prominent Russian film director known for his role in denigrating the West, including Spain, and spreading

By Walter Finch

Kremlin propaganda.

Nikita Mikhalkov has been identified as the owner of a villa in San Roque, between Gibraltar and Marbella, according to records from the Spanish property registry.

We are not publishing its exact location, but it sits nestled among a number of similarly lavish villas facing out over a picturesque golf course.

It is co-owned by Mikhalkov’s wife, Tetiana, and their children, but holds significance as Mikhalkov fell under Western sanctions in December.

Mikhalkov has also allegedly invested in property by the prestigious five-star SHA hotel

Torrevieja, Alicante, Marbella, San Roque, Catalunya - The luxury villas in Spain owned by Russian supporters of Putin

and wellness clinic on the Costa Blanca. His daughter has three apartments in Alicante.

President Putin’s ex-wife Lyudmila is also reportedly the owner of a cliff-top mansion on the Costa Blanca.

The property is truly luxurious, looking out over the Mediterranean, boasting curvaceous architecture and a dolphin-shaped pool. It also has the tell-tale name ‘Casa de Papa’ - Daddy’s House.

Further north, the parents of Russian Foreign Minister Sergiy

Lavrov’s son-in-law own two apartments in the outskirts of Girona, on the Costa Brava. Lavrov’s daughter, Ekaterina, has been spotted there.

His son-in-law Alexander Vinokurov meanwhile, faces sanctions for attending a meeting of oligarchs with Putin on the first day of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Yet his parents and wife still retain access to their Spanish apartments without any restrictions.

Let’s also not forget the incredi- ble €40m mansion that President Putin is understood to own in the hills above Marbella.

The Olive Press has long reported on the luxury villa located in the super-exclusive enclave of La Zagaleta, in Benahavis.

Indeed, we broke the story a decade ago.

The property that sits in its own street - King Lion Road - boasts three underground basements and has its own vineyard, bowling alley, and, perhaps predictably, a ‘shooting range’. Bought through a string of shell companies, officially it is now owned by Artem Sheikin, a senator for Amur Oblast in Russia’s Far East, although typically, it is registered in a company owned by his ex-wife, Anna Kviria.

The Olive Press understands it is actually owned by five Russian oligarchs with Putin being the majority owner.

Another Russian senator, meanwhile, Alexander Bryskin owns a more modest seafront apartment in Torrevieja. Despite officially criticising Spain on television, it seems he still enjoys the luxury of owning a property here “Some muppets say that visiting Spain is a privilege! What the hell?” he shouted during an interview. “Visiting Russia is a privilege!”

The revelation of these Spanish properties linked to influential Russian figures has caused ripples of concern amid the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

The discovery sheds light on the potential financial ties and interests of these individuals, raising questions about whether authorities in Madrid and Brussels should be doing more to prosecute corrupt Russians complicit in Putin’s war on Ukraine.