Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

‘A dirty game’: Russians in UK rail at calls to seize oligarchs’ assets

‘A dirty game’: Russians in UK rail at calls to seize oligarchs’ assets

Russians describe despair and guilt over war while insisting seizures should follow due process

Yevgeny Chichvarkin, the multimillionaire owner of the Michelin-starred Mayfair restaurant Hide, was walking through Belgravia on Monday when he came across the mansion of another super-rich Russian that had been occupied by protesters demonstrating against the invasion of Ukraine.

Although Chichvarkin, 47, is a longtime vocal critic of Vladimir Putin, he was alarmed by the squatters’ occupation of the £50m property owned by the oligarch Oleg Deripaska, describing their action as “a dirty game”.

“To stop the war it will be helpful to send Javelins [a weapon system] and anti-tank missiles to Ukraine,” he said, adding that he supported a Nato no-fly zone over the country. “But to seize expensive ships or expensive houses, it’s a play for the next election by leftwing people. It’s a dirty, dirty game.”

Chichvarkin, who also owns the luxury wine store Hedonism, is one of a group of high-profile exiled Russian public figures, including the oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who last month founded an anti-war committee to hold Putin and other regime officials accountable for violations of international law.

He and his partner, Tatiana Fokina, have attended anti-war protests in London with their six-year-old daughter, Alice, and earlier this month he delivered a lorryload of medicine to Ukrainian refugees in Warsaw. He described the pain he felt for Ukraine and Russia as “like two bullets in one heart”.

But like several Russians I spoke to in Mayfair, Chichvarkin, who fled Moscow in 2008 claiming he was forced out by demands from corrupt officials to pay bribes, is perturbed by calls from some UK politicians, including government ministers, to seize oligarchs’ assets, including mansions, yachts and private jets.

“There is a lot of alarmism in the press,” he said. “People with a low education and leftwing [views] who feel jealous to see the cars, beautiful houses and yachts. [It’s] so easy to play with their feelings about equality.”

Chichvarkin said he supported seizing corrupt assets but only if it was done with respect for due process. “It has to be the decision of the high court. That’s why we respect [the] United Kingdom.”

It was a sentiment echoed by Fokina, 34, in the dimly lit basement bar of the Hide on the night the police arrested the Belgravia squatters. “There’s lots of tainted Russian money [in London], but, also, there are so many political Russian refugees with money. I know so many very wealthy people who are now donating incredible amounts to Ukraine, and their accounts are being frozen.”


Fokina fears that indiscriminate sanctions and cultural boycotts of Russian music play into the hands of Putin’s propagandists. “Every case of Russophobia in Europe, they are blowing up to a huge scale, saying no one will be glad to see you there,” she said.

Although she has not been personally targeted, Fokina said some friends had been affected. “My friend’s five-year-old came back home and said: ‘Mummy, why are you killing people?’”

Fokina, whose mother has fled to London because of the war, described her mixture of shock, despair and guilt in reaction to the invasion. “I can’t bear to look into the eyes of my Ukrainian friends because I feel profoundly ashamed, [even though] I’ve been in opposition to the current regime from a very young age. I think the best way someone’s put it is that all of a sudden you feel both like the Nazis and the Jews.”

Natasha (not her real name), a Jewish Russian emigrant who has lived in London for 30 years, said she was shocked by the number of Russians back home who support Putin. The 50-year-old blamed this on state propaganda that portrays the conflict as a “saintly war against Nazis”. “It’s just been surreal,” she said. “It’s like some kind of parallel reality.”

Natasha, who works as a concierge manager for the super-rich, said sanctions had affected the children of her wealthy Russian clients who were studying at British boarding schools.

She acts as a guardian for three teenage boys, one of whom has asked to borrow money from her because the bank card given to him by his parents for his pocket money had been cut off. “These kids now they’re basically stranded,” she said. “It’s not fair.”

Pytor (not his real name), a trader and investment banker who also joined the table at the Hide bar, said he was angry that sanctions were affecting people who had nothing to do with the war.

The 46-year-old, who moved to London three years ago, argued that the west had breached the balance of power with Russia through the expansion of Nato and the European Union.

Although he said there was no justification for the invasion, Pytor said he had lost faith in the western media because he saw its coverage of the conflict as too biased. “I’ve been very disappointed by the level of political propaganda and fierce hatred against Russia.”

Victor Balagadde, a former editorial director for the Russian newspaper Kommersant, said he thought Pytor’s position was closest to that of the average Russian living in London.

“You could see that through the social networks when the war started,” said Balagadde, 50, who lived in Kharkiv for 12 years and opposes the war. “They were more concerned not about people dying in Ukraine but about the sanctions which were imposed on Russia. It has been really hard to hear that.”

Chichvarkin said some wealthy Russians in one of his WhatsApp groups were hostile towards discussion of the invasion. “They said: come on guys, it’s not a war chat, let’s be very polite and calm down. And another guy said: yeah, look at the banks, shut up with your war. And I left this group and I said: ‘Fuck all of you guys with no politics. Politics will come to you soon.’”

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Budapest Central European Fashion Week Kicks Off
U.S. Celebrates Labor Day
Hungarian National Team Captain Scores Epic Goal
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Japanese Customer Sways from VW to BYD after “Unbelievable” Test Drive amid Dealership Expansion
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
White House Eyes Budapest for Peace Talks
Cave Diving Beneath the Streets of Budapest
Another American Restaurant Chain Opens in Budapest
Hungarian Opposition Politician Supports Ukrainian Commander
Opposition Leader Threatens Media Outlets
American Airlines Adds New Flights to Budapest
F1 Hungarian Grand Prix Wraps Up
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
U.S. Trade Representative says Washington still negotiating trade deals after court rules tariffs illegal
Von der Leyen says Europe drawing up 'precise' plans to send troops to Ukraine
Kremlin accuses Europe of hindering Trump’s peace efforts in Ukraine
×