Dubai Unlocked: Secrets and Lies in the UAE

Dubai, the largest city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has become a playground for representatives of Russian authorities and criminal networks in recent years. It is one of the few remaining international hubs of wealth and luxury still accessible to these individuals, with the origin of their money and reputations being largely overlooked. Real estate in Dubai is purchased for both residential and investment purposes, while enticing benefits like residence visas, the ability to open bank accounts, and the near-total opacity of this tax haven only sweeten the deal. Entering the country is also simple — Russians do not need a visa (it can be issued directly at the airport). Politically exposed Russians also face minimal risk of property confiscation due to sanctions since the UAE pays little attention to the regulatory measures.

Tax haven expert, James Henry, compared the UAE to a bar on a distant planet in the movie Star Wars: “You walk in and to the right of you are the kleptocrats, to the left — oligarchs, in the center — money launderers, and in the background — dirty traders of Russian raw materials, all using this place to bypass sanctions. And everyone benefits from complete financial secrecy.”

And yet, Dubai is anything but a distant planet.

“According to a 2022 data leak, we estimated that foreign nationals owned 198,000 real estate properties in Dubai with a total value exceeding $90 billion,” says Andreas Okland, a postdoctoral fellow at the School of Economics and Business at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU).

IStories participated in Dubai Unlocked, an international investigative project based on a recent data leak which revealed details about hundreds of thousands of Dubai properties and their owners. This is not our first investigation of this kind; you can read our previous work here.

The data was obtained by the U.S-based non-profit organization Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS), which studies international crime and conflicts. The center shared the information with the Norwegian financial outlet E24 and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), which coordinated the collaborative investigative project with more than 70 international media outlets.

IStories analyzed the data and identified some noteworthy Russian property owners: from officials and politicians to criminal actors.

Officials and their loved ones

At the heart of the world’s largest man-made island, Palm Jumeirah, located in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Dubai, lies the luxurious residential complex Marina Residences. At its entrance sit blooming gardens and a harbor lined with hundreds of lavish yachts; inside there are pools, bars, restaurants, and fitness facilities — everything required by an eligible investor for their relaxation and entertainment needs. Exquisite finishes adorn the apartments within: porcelain tiles, wooden floors, and natural stone. Residents can also enjoy the gentle sea breeze from the comfort of their balconies.

According to the leaked data, two apartments in this complex were owned by entrepreneur and property developer Alexander Udodov, the former brother-in-law of the recently reappointed Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. He married the prime minister’s sister, Natalia Stenina, in 2008 before separating in 2020. While the businessman gifted part of his Russian property to the Mishustin family, he did not display the same generosity in Dubai where his apartment holdings are valued at nearly $2 million. His largest apartment, measuring in at over 200 square meters on the 13th floor of Marina Residences 3, is estimated to be worth around $1 million.Udodov retained this property (renting it to an Egyptian businessman); but sold the two others — one in the same complex and another in Hercules Tower — by February 2023. An earlier Dubai property data leak only cited Udodov’s Marina Residences apartment valued at $600,000.

First Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Tatarstan Lenar Garipov and his brother Ilnar, own hotel rooms and apartments in Dubai worth over $2.7 million. Not bad given the not so prosperous state of Tatarstan’s agricultural industry. IStories established that Garipov’s public asset declarations fail to disclose his Dubai properties.

The brothers favor the TFG Marina Hotel in particular — located near the Dubai harbor, in the heart of popular pedestrian boulevards lined with designer boutiques, numerous restaurants, and cafes, and just a five-minute walk from sandy beaches. Private ownership of hotel rooms is a popular form of investment in Dubai: the owner can stay in the room for a few days a year, while the hotel manages it the rest of the time, generating income for the owner.

Besides rooms in the Marina Hotel, the brothers have studio apartments in the Sky Central skyscraper and the First Central hotel apartment complex, as well as two small apartments (each around 35 square meters) in Grand Central near Dubai’s main highway, a ten-minute drive from the coast.

Lenar Garipov responded to our inquiries, stating that he does not own any property and that it was his brother Ilnar who was involved in the real estate business. However, the data suggests otherwise. 

Khas-Magomed Taymaskhanov — the nephew of Galas Taymaskhanov, head of Ramzan Kadyrov’s administration — owns four apartments in Dubai worth more than $6 million (purchased for $4.6 million). The Taymaskhanov clan is closely connected to Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of the Chechen Republic, with members occupying high-ranking positions in the Chechen government since at least 2008. General Mashud Taymaskhanov has headed the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation in the republic for many years, and Bekhan Taymaskhanov is the deputy head of the Chechen government. Vakh Taymaskhanov, widely understood to have been the leader of the clan, had lived and conducted his business in the UAE, according to Kavkaz. Realii reports.

Khas-Magomed Taymaskhanov acquired his Dubai apartments in 2013, three of which are in the Tiara Diamond North 4 residential complex on the artificial island of Palm Jumeirah. The largest apartment, spanning 222 square meters and housing three bedrooms, was purchased for $1.7 million (now valued at over $2 million) and was rented in 2016 for approximately $40,000 per annum. Two others, each worth $1.5 million, are currently being rented out. According to the Dubai property and transaction data obtained by E24 and OCCRP, these rentals generate Taymaskhanov an annual income of $80,000. Another of his apartments, a 155 square meter property worth over $1 million, is on the 12th floor of the Tanzanite South 3 residential complex, also on Palm Jumeirah. It is unclear if this apartment is currently on the rental market. 

United Russia deputies and their loved ones

The elite residential complex Serenia Residences, also on Palm Jumeirah, promises a “brand new level of comfort and luxury.” The apartments’ panoramic windows offer views of one of Dubai’s most exclusive districts, the Persian Gulf and the famous 800-meter Burj Khalifa skyscraper. In March 2022, less than a month after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, an exclusive penthouse in this complex was purchased by one of the wealthiest deputies of the Russian State Duma, United Russia party member and “meat king” Grigory Anikeyev.

The 1,195 square meter penthouse cost over $13 million. The leaked data confirms information previously reported by Alexey Navalny (who exposed the Dubai properties owned by many deputies, including Anikeyev, back in November 2023).

In 2020, a criminal case was initiated pertaining to the delivery of expired ventilators to a hospital in Vladimir. The ventilators were purchased with funds from the charitable foundation Mercy and Order, founded by Grigory Anikeyev. Anikeyev welcomed the criminal proceedings, expecting to be recognized as a victim.

Anikeyev’s ex-wife, co-founder of the charity Olga Polyakova, also acquired two apartments on Palm Jumeirah in April 2022. Situated in the luxury residential complex The 8, the apartments cost around $3 million and boast access to a private beach. In 2016, Olga, along with Anikeyev’s son, Artem, and her daughter, Sofia Polyakova, acquired Maltese citizenship.

Anikeyev’s other partner, Irina Kupareva (with whom he shares a son named Mark), obtained a Maltese passport back in 2015. In April 2022, she acquired a 140 square meter apartment in Serenia Residences, Dubai.

Chechen-born United Russia deputy and Z-patriot (a term referring to Russia’s pro-war community) Bekkhan Agayev could not resist acquiring his own slice of the Dubai real estate market either. Prior to falling under EU sanctions in February 2022, Agayev managed to invest in a three-bedroom, 352 square meter apartment in Kempinski Palm Residences over ten years ago. “While the gentle breeze whispers stories of luxury and excess, spend a holiday beyond the ordinary, where every moment is infused with an undeniable sense of grandeur and refinement,” reads the evocative property description on the Kempinski website. Initially, Agayev was listed as the owner of the property, but in recent years the apartment has been registered under the mother of his children, Malika Sadulayeva. Officially, Agayev and Sadulayeva are not married, allowing the deputy to avoid disclosing his Dubai property on public declarations. The apartment is currently being rented for nearly $100,000 per year.

State company chiefs and their loved ones

Pavel Ipatov, deputy general director of Rosenergoatom (part of the state corporation Rosatom) and former governor of Saratov Oblast, owns a 1,244 square meter villa on Palm Jumeirah, valued at approximately $7 million. His wife Anastasia owns a villa on the same island, worth over $5 million (purchased for $2.3 million), and nine nearby apartments, mostly in the Emirates Crown Tower. These apartments are estimated to be worth $12 million. The 63-story Emirates Crown Tower is situated in one of the city’s most prestigious districts — Dubai Marina, just meters away from the sea, artificial canals, and harbors packed with luxury yachts. The data leak revealed that a $5 million 622 square meter villa on Palm Jumeirah (sold in March 2023), and a 200+ square meter apartment in the Al Sultana complex, valued at $1.3 million, were both registered in the name of Ipatov’s daughter.

“I left my government position in March 2012 ... and since July 2012, I have been working in the commercial organization Rosenergoatom. In this regard, I am not obliged to declare information about my property ownership, as per the law of the Russian Federation,” Ipatov stated in response to OCCRP’s inquiries. “My wife and daughter are entrepreneurs; I cannot comment on their activities. I have been married to Anastasia since 2015.”

Vasily Nikonov, head of the energy department at Rosneft, was appointed CEO of the energy company Unipro in April 2023 after the Federal Agency for State Property Management took temporary control of shares in the company, a move described as “a retaliatory measure against actions of unfriendly states.” Nikonov owns at least three apartments in Dubai. One, spread over 200 square meters, is in the premium Balqis Residence, located on the western crescent of the island with views of the Persian Gulf. The complex includes pools, landscaped gardens, and a private beach. Realtors market the residence as offering a modern elegance, enchanting decor, a luscious courtyard, and beachfront living, all symbiotically elevating life to the highest standard.

Two comparably modest studio apartments owned by Nikonov (each 48 square meters in size) are located in Silverene Towers, a residential complex in Dubai Marina. Ownership of both properties has now been transferred to Natalya Nikonova. The total value of the Nikonov family’s Dubai real estate portfolio is nearly $2 million.

Criminals and their loved ones

Real estate in Dubai has also been acquired by individuals implicated in well-known criminal cases and their families, though some have already divested themselves of these properties. For instance, Marina Goldberg, the wife of Russian mafia boss and notorious gangster Zakhar Kalashov known as Young Shakro, owned a $5 million apartment sprawled over 600 square meters on the 34th floor of the iconic Burj Khalifa, before its sale in 2021. The infamous Anna Chapman, a Russian intelligence agent exposed by the FBI in 2010, owned a small $600,000 apartment in Marina Vista, a coastal residential complex with views of Dubai harbor.

Former head of the department for economic security and anti-corruption of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Zelenograd, Lieutenant Colonel Vadim Bazarov, managed to grab cash and valuables from his home before fleeing persecution in his Mercedes G-Class. Added to the most wanted list in 2020, he was suspected of extorting money from entrepreneurs by threatening to shut down or destroy their businesses. A criminal case against the lieutenant colonel was initiated under the article of receiving a particularly large bribe.

The recent leak reveals that Bazarov owns a villa and two apartments in Dubai. The 644 square meter villa is not on the artificial island but in the prestigious Jumeirah Village Circle in the heart of New Dubai. The apartments (119 and 77 square meters respectively) are in the premium residential complexes Shams 2 and Botanica Tower 1 in Dubai Marina, with views of the iconic Palm Jumeirah. The total value of Bazarov’s Dubai real estate is around $1.8 million at current rates.

“Corrupt actors and politically exposed individuals avoiding public accountability use secrecy jurisdictions like the UAE to hide assets in plain sight,” said Maria Guiditta Borselli, a portfolio manager at C4ADS. Another expert at the non-profit organization, Deniza Sprimont-Vasquez, adds that such investigations show governments encouraging illegal activities that they need to increase transparency.

Translated by Sasha Molotkova