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“Putin is a terrorist and I don’t want to start a war for his ambitions,” said Sergei Tulinov, 35, a tattoo artist from Kaliningrad, who announced in late September in Russia part of the Shortly after the military mobilization, he sold his business and moved to Dubai. “I see no reason to defend my homeland when no one is attacking it.”
He chose Dubai for its high standard of living, low taxes and easy visa requirements for Russians, saying “the rest of the world doesn’t have the Russophobia that grew because of the war.”
With tattoos not as popular in the Middle East as they are at home, Turinov plans to open a beauty salon specializing in permanent cosmetics for Dubains The image-obsessed “upper class.”
The cosmopolitan city-state in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates has long positioned itself as a non-aligned safe haven for global wealth and finance. Now, the UAE’s decision not to join Western sanctions against Moscow for waging a war in Ukraine has made Dubai the new center of wealth for Russia, who see much of the rest of the world as closed to them.
Russians can get a 90-day tourist visa upon entry and can get residency through an employer or institution New Freelancer Visa Program.
Russians were the largest group of non-resident buyers between July and September this year, according to real estate brokerage Betterhomes. Many of these “investment properties” on the marina are vacant, while others are rented out by owners – both a convenient way to park your money.some purchases are It is said Made in cryptocurrency, it is a popular way to circumvent sanctions.
The UAE does not publish a breakdown of the nationality of its residents, but Russians here talk of hundreds of thousands of new immigrants after the war. Several Western banks — including JPMorgan and Bank of America — mobilized staff From Russia to Dubai in response to sanctions. data Some 277,000 Russian citizens traveled to the UAE between July and September, more than three times the number during the same period in 2019 before the pandemic, according to data from Rosstat.
Olesya Sabra, an English teacher from southern Russia, arrived a few days before the war broke out, hoping to start fresh in a sunny location near the sea. She quickly built a network of nearly 300 students, mostly from the Marina and other upscale neighborhoods. Most are Russian or Russian-speaking people eager to learn the working language in Dubai. “Everywhere you go, you hear Russian,” she said. People have Russified the name of the city – they now call it ‘Dubai’. “
Increasingly, she says, the students are men of military age: “I used to teach mostly young women looking for rich husbands, now it’s mostly young people who come here looking for jobs who barely speak English.”
Unlike those who fled hastily to Russia’s border countries after Putin’s mobilization announcement, Russians arriving in Dubai usually have more money and more ambitious plans. Many see an opportunity to invest in a place that has become one of 2022’s few economic success stories — petrodollar-funded investments, a string of successful IPOs and a company that has consistently outperformed more established rivals. Stock exchange promotion.
Large Russian pavilions regularly appear at the city’s trade fairs under the “Made in Russia” banner. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov recently traveled to the UAE capital Abu Dhabi for a meeting to expand what he calls a “strategic partnership”; UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met in Russia in October Putin.as a prominent russian legislator noticed last monththe UAE is the main Arab destination for Russian investment and the largest Arab investor in Russia.
But the UAE’s fast-and-loose pursuit of growth has drawn some criticism. In March, the Paris-based intergovernmental Financial Action Task Force included the UAE among its “Grey List” of countries are not doing enough to combat money laundering and illicit financial activities. The UAE said it was committed to working with FATF on improvements. Either way, thanks to cryptocurrencies, Russians in Dubai say they can move money without a problem, even if sanctions mean most of their bank cards won’t work.
On The Palm, a man-made island adjacent to a marina, wealthy Russian business groups shuttle between meetings in multimillion-dollar Maybach limousines and Brabus custom sports gear, flanked by bodyguards, before retreating to luxury resorts.Nearby, some sanctioned oligarchs, including members of Putin’s inner circle, have moor their superyacht.
“Despite all the news, business is booming in Russia and these people need bank accounts for work – especially when dealing with Europe,” says Adel Maher, a business consultant and residency, So that they can use Dubai as an intermediary to transfer funds between Russia and Europe.
Tattoo artist Tulinov has a more modest goal. Like many newcomers, he didn’t wait to see if he received his draft card.
“I lost five military friends who died in Ukraine, it’s terrible. Most of the young people in Russia, they don’t believe in propaganda, it’s the older generation,” he said.
“When I left, every authority figure asked when I was coming back,” he added. “I do not know.”
For others, Dubai is just a transit point. In a café on the pier, six Russian men in their 20s had breakfast before logging on to work remotely. All plan to avoid military service if they receive a so-called “invitation.”
“In Moscow, I felt the pressure around me, every day you wait for something bad to happen,” said Bogdan, 27, an IT worker, who asked only to be identified for fear of reprisals. own name. “Every talk leads to war.”
Bogdan said he usually goes to Russia to escape the cold, but this year he plans to spend a longer time abroad. “I love Moscow, so I will come back. Russia is my home. I just hope that one day I won’t be forced to leave it forever.”
Natalya Abbakumova in Riga, Latvia contributed to this report.
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