LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – At least seven Russian nationals who were sanctioned following the invasion of Ukraine acquired Maltese citizenship through the country’s controversial investor citizenship scheme, according to an investigation by the Financial Times.
The report reveals that sanctioned individuals managed to partly bypass European Union travel restrictions by holding a Maltese passport—effectively granting them EU citizenship—under the so-called “golden passport” programme. Malta remains the only EU country still offering citizenship in exchange for investment. Among those named is Russian billionaire Albert Avdolyan, a coal and gas magnate, who secured his Maltese citizenship in 2015. Avdolyan is among a group of at least seven Russian nationals who were later sanctioned by the United States, European Union, or Ukraine in connection with the war.
-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).
