This little girl has quite an impressive property portfolio.
It seems a Russian supermarket magnate and politician turned his young daughter into a landlord just 20 days before Russia was to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Russian billionaire Vladimir Gruzdev declared his 8-year-old child the owner of his multimillion-dollar London flat in February 2022, according to an investigation by The Times of London and anti-corruption non-profit Transparency International.
The billionaire, who is sanctioned by Ukraine, declined to comment to the publication about the fact that he has listed his Kensington unit – which comes with a parking space, a maid’s room and various embassies and celebrity residences. Complete with closeness – under him the name of the teenage child grew up less than a month before the war.
The apartment was purchased in 2000 for $2.78 million through a company based in the Cayman Islands, where, the insider notedThe tax rate is 0%.
Today, considering both inflation and conversion from UK pounds to US dollars, the outlet puts the value of the residence at between $5 and $10 million.
Gruzdev is a graduate of the Red Banner Institute, the premier Russian espionage academy, of which Vladimir Putin is also an alumnus.
In addition to helping found the successful grocery chain Seventh Continent (to which he sold his stake in 2007, catapulting him to billionaire status), Gruzdev has also been a member of the state’s foreign intelligence services, based in the Tula region south of Moscow. is the governor of , a president of the Russian Bar Association and a recipient of an honorary diploma awarded to him by Putin himself.
Insider reported that Ukraine banned him after he shared a statement that supported the war.
Only Ukraine and no other country has banned it.
Gruzdev is far from the only acknowledged figure whose family members have been suddenly put in charge of part of his estate in recent years, the Times of London concluded at the end of its report.
“Every month, new stories emerge about children, grandchildren or partners who suddenly become trustees of huge business empires, or owners of luxury yachts, planes and mansions across the country. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. is the tip of the iceberg,” Member of Parliament Dame Margaret Hodge told the outlet of the situation. “Where is the urgency on the part of the government to crack down on this? Until we get this right, the new sanctions will be nothing more than a slap on the wrist. We cannot fail Ukraine on this matter, nor can we continue to be awash with Russian money.”