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People close to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov received UAE passports after Russia invaded Ukraine, Anti-Corruption Foundation reports

Source: Anti-Corruption Foundation

The Anti-Corruption Foundation found that people close to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov received UAE passports after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

They are Svetlana Polyakova and her daughter. According to investigations by the independent Russian outlet iStories and the Anti-Corruption Foundation, Polyakova has a close relationship with Lavrov.

Polyakova was granted UAE citizenship “for services to the state” on December 28, 2022, while her daughter, Polina Kovaleva, received a passport on December 17, 2022, through her employment.

Polyakova’s close relationship with Lavrov became public in 2021. According to iStories, she worked at the Foreign Ministry and accompanied the minister on trips. Several people had her listed in their phones as “Svetlana Lavrova,” though that was never legally her surname.

Journalists also found that Polyakova owned real estate worth more than 700 million rubles. According to an Anti-Corruption Foundation investigation, Polyakova and her family used private jets and overseas properties belonging to billionaire Oleg Deripaska.

Before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Polina Kovaleva lived in the United Kingdom. She studied at Imperial College Business School in London and owned several British companies. In 2016, when she was 21, Kovaleva acquired a 999-year lease on an apartment in the upscale Kensington neighborhood for £4.4 million.

After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began and the United Kingdom imposed sanctions, Kovaleva left England and went to work for Qatar Investment in Doha.

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