Sprawling mansion estates in London owned by billionaire Russian oligarchs seem to be in picture-perfect condition, despite the United Kingdom slapping sanctions on the jet-setting honchos last year.
In 2022, after Moscow began its bloody invasion of Ukraine, the UK implemented travel bans against Russian oligarchs and froze their assets, including $2 billion in real estate, in an attempt to put the squeeze on those with ties to President Vladimir Putin.
“We are targeting oligarchs’ private jets, we’ll be targeting their properties, we’ll be targeting other possessions that they have,” then-Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said at the time.
But photos taken by the Daily Mail reveal many of these coveted estates appear to be in as good a condition as ever despite the government’s financial bindings.
Because none of the properties have actually been seized by the government, London has been forced to allow some of these billionaires to use their own money to manage the upkeep of the properties, or pick up the bill itself, the Mail reported.
“Other countries like Canada are bringing forward serious legislation aimed at not just freezing but seizing these assets,” Labour MP Liam Byrne said.
“The Government seems supremely relaxed about these individuals carrying on in a business-as-usual way. It is extraordinary.”
Witanhurst, which boasts 25 bedrooms and a gold-ceilinged ballroom, looks sparkling despite the absence of its Putin-linked owner, Andrey Guryev, who founded Europe’s largest phosphate fertilizer manufacturer, PhosAgro.
Said to be the second-largest private residence behind Buckingham Palace, the Highgate manse, which Guryev purchased for $373 million from Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s family, nowadays features lawns mowed into stripes, blooming flowerbeds, and even a recently dug-and-sown vegetable plot.
Sutton Place, which was swept up for $37.3 million by metals magnate Alisher Usmanov — who has reportedly “solved [Putin’s] business problems” — appears to be undergoing some construction in the photographs. Still, the sprawling estate in Surrey features a clear swimming pool and verdant landscape, in addition to several libraries.
Usmanov’s other property, the $112 million Beechwood House in Highgate, also appears to be well-kept despite its owner being MIA.
Among the current exterior features are well-trimmed hedges and pops of spring flowers lining its turning circle.