The Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) published an investigation in its official X account, reporting that close associates of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov hold citizenship of the United Arab Emirates. According to the foundation, the Emirati passports were issued after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the imposition of strict Western sanctions against Moscow. Ukrainian outlets RBC-Ukraine, 24tv, UNIAN and Focus.ua reported on the details of the publication, which has resonated in the political sphere.
Passport "for services rendered to the state"
According to FBK's materials, Svetlana Polyakova, whom the foundation describes as the lover of the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, received a UAE citizen passport with the official wording "for services rendered to the state." This wording, the investigation's authors note, is unusual and raises questions about the actual grounds for granting citizenship. The exact date of the document's issuance is not specified in the publication, but, according to the foundation's logic, it occurred after February 2022.
Daughter's move to the Middle East and assets in Britain
Polyakova's daughter, Polina Kovaleva, became a UAE citizen in December 2022. Before that, she had lived in the United Kingdom for many years, where, according to FBK, she owned real estate and other assets with a total value of 4.4 million British pounds — approximately 5.95 million US dollars. After the start of the full-scale invasion and the intensification of sanctions pressure, the minister's relative left British territory and moved to the Middle East. There she took a job at the company Qatar Investment in the Qatari capital Doha and obtained a new citizenship.
Context: Lavrov's statements amid escalation
FBK's investigation came against the backdrop of Sergey Lavrov's own sharp rhetoric. Recently, the minister stated that recent events in Russian-German relations indicate the "beginning of a real war." His words were made in the context of Berlin's accusations against Moscow over organizing a drone attack on a Ukrainian aircraft at Leipzig airport. In addition, Lavrov publicly declared that the Russian leadership's team has its own approach to US President Donald Trump on the issue of settling the war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, which adds to the geopolitical tension at the moment the investigation into the Foreign Minister's family ties was published.
Contradictory data
It is important to note that the status of Svetlana Polyakova as Lavrov's "lover" is exclusively a characterization given by the Anti-Corruption Foundation in its X publication. Neither Lavrov himself, nor the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, nor any state bodies have confirmed or denied the existence of a romantic relationship between them. Thus, one of the key details of the investigation — Polyakova's connection with the minister — remains the claim of a single source (FBK), not a documented fact. As for the fact of obtaining UAE citizenship itself, it is also based on the foundation's social media publication, and independent verification by Emirati or Russian official structures is not provided in the sources cited. Ukrainian media, in turn, relay the information with reference specifically to FBK, without conducting their own verification of the documents.
At this point, neither the Russian Foreign Ministry nor official Doha has commented on FBK's publication. The lack of reaction from both sides leaves room for various interpretations, however, the very fact of the information being spread in the public domain already creates a new wave of informational pressure on the Russian diplomatic leadership amid the ongoing conflict.
