Dubai, the luxury jets of the oligarchs remain on the ground

Dubai and the United Arab Emirates “new kingdom” of the Russian oligarchs and Vladimir Putin’s allies. Since the invasion of Ukraine, most countries of the world have imposed sanctions on financial institutions and Putin’s “friends”. A long list that also includes tax havens such as the Cayman Islands, Monaco but also Switzerland. Dubai and the United Arab Emirates, the American media report, instead did not and now risk being the weak point of the sanctions, allowing rich Russians a way out.
In recent years, Dubai has established itself as a popular destination for Russians who can set up a business in the country to secure a visa, or buy properties worth over $ 200,000 and get three years of residency. And so, when the United States and Europe launched sanctions against Russia and its elite over the war in Ukraine, the oligarchs were quick to find shelter for their private jets as well. They are crowding Dubai, but once they get here, they actually can’t leave. Dozens of private jets – says the Wall Street Journal today – connected to Russia’s rich are “sitting” on the asphalt of a terminal in the desert, as shown by satellite images and data from the aeronautical research company WINGX. In short, stuck there because the sanctions have effectively grounded the planes.