FT: Malta sold ʼgoldenʼ passports to Russians involved in war against Ukraine

A number of Russian citizens, who are under sanctions from the European Union and the United States due to Russiaʼs full-scale invasion of Ukraine, have received Maltese passports under the "golden visa" scheme.

This is reported by the Financial Times (FT).

This includes Russian businessman Albert Avdolyan, who is under EU sanctions but can partially circumvent the EU entry ban because he has held a Maltese passport since 2015, acquired under the “golden visa” scheme. The sanctions against him state that he is “closely associated” with the Russian state-owned arms giant “Rostec”.

Avdolyan is one of seven Russians who were granted Maltese citizenship and subsequently came under US, EU or Ukrainian sanctions over Russiaʼs war in Ukraine, according to a count by the FT based on names published in the countryʼs Government Gazette and leaked documents.

Also among the holders of such passports is Russian Yevgenia Bernova, whom the US suspects of “fraudulently acquiring dual-use equipment” that Russia could use for military purposes.

Malta is the last EU country still offering citizenship for money. The European Commission is unhappy with this and has asked the European Court of Justice to stop the scheme. The Commission claims that the scheme “undermines both the essence and the integrity of EU citizenship”. The court is expected to rule on April 29.

People who purchase Maltese passports become EU citizens with the right to reside within the bloc. They can easily open accounts in EU banks and businesses, and travel to many other countries without a visa.

For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine please follow us on X.