Russian Oligarchs using UK fee paying schools

[Chocalata]

Is this really such a big thing as the papers make out? I quizzed friends with DC at boarding school and it really doesn't sound like there are many Russian children in their schools at all. I feel quite bad for any Russian children that are at the moment, it must be quite terrifying to be alone in a boarding school in another country, even if your parents are potentially money laundering and financially supporting an atrocious invasion.

Not many? There are 2,500 private schools in the UK so if there's only one per school that's potentially 2,500 oligarchs, because do you really think your bog standard Russian who is barely allowed out of the country is paying UK private school fees?

Our local boarding school is 30pc boarders and at least 50pc are Russian, according to my friend who is the bursar. I'd have thought it's a lot higher in London schools.

The non-boarding day school my children has at least 5 kids in their years who are Russian I'd say, and I can think of at least 2 Ukrainian famillies. I worry about them too.

Hopefully people have the sense to separate the people from the government.

I read that stat, but I know lots of people with DC in fee paying boarding schools, and they don't seem to think that they have oligarch children at theirs (I have spoken to parents with DC at Eton, Bradfield, Winchester.)
I just feel a bit sad for them. They are children after all, and not responsible for their awful parents.

Yep a good amount at our local one, also quite a few Ukrainian girls too - they're at each others throats and it's so awful for the Ukrainian girls who of course all have families caught up in it. Don't know when they'll be allowed home.

@Pennox but that doesn't mean they are Oligarch's children does it? There are plenty of Russians protesting about the invasion. Not all rich Russians are in favour of what Putin is doing (and many are seriously scared of him of course so will say nothing.)

I find it really hard to believe there aren't at least a couple of oligarch children in every year group at Eton and Winchester, sorry.

The children are innocent. The majority of Russians are innocent. The oligarch-type Russians who are paying these school fees are the people supporting Putin’s regime and they have grown to believe they are omnipotent, that there are no consequences to their actions. There are.

@Pootles34 That sounds horrible for them, poor girls. Do you think the Russian children will have to leave because the UK government wants to clean up the system? I would have thought the schools had systems in place to spot the money laundering?

But theyre children and should be kept out of it as much as possible imo.

@MrsWooster So will schools ask those children to leave do you think? Seems a bit harsh on the children who have done no wrong, but I am guessing it isn't a good look in terms of school's PR?

@Pennox you are probably right and they are big places and I don't have a friend with children in each year. And anyhow children probably don't spot the children of oligarchs they are just children to them.
So do you think the schools you mention should ask the children of Oligarchs to leave now?

Worth noting that the vast majority of Russians in the UK are not oligarchs or friends of Putin. Most are just ordinary people getting on with their lives. Even the Russians wealthy enough to send kids to private school are mostly not super rich oligarchs - they are middle class people, often with well paid (but not super rich) jobs, just like the vast majority of British people who send kids to private school.

All the Russian born people I know in the UK are horrified by Putin, and desperately sad about what has become of their country. They have no control over what Putin does, and their children are completely blameless.

Yes, we need to crack down on money laundering and Putin's cronies.
But most Russians are not oligarchs and just because a few of them can afford to send dc to private school, it does not mean that they are money laundering.
Huge difference between being wealthy enough to afford the fees at a typical private school, and being oligarch-level rich.

I dont think any child should be asked to leave unless it can be proven that there is fraud or money laundering involved in payment of their fees, irrespective or their nationality or political leanings of their parents.

According to the ISC, roughly 2,300 children with Russian citizenship are at UK independent schools. Of course, the statistics do not specify which of these are the children of oligarchs or not!

@SquishySquirmy
I agree. So which schools have the Oligarch children that the MP's are so incensed about. And how do they not spot the money laundering that we are told is happening? I think they have systems in place.
I just think that it doesn't all add up. I think oligarchs would be more likely to have their children educated at home with private tutors than attempt to launder money through schools.

@Pennox I totally agree with you. And presumably there are systems in place for bursars to spot potential money laundering, so I just don't see how this is a big problem.

Poor kids. Imagine how they must be feeling.

The school I used to work at has a lot of Russian children. There were always doubts over sources of funds and the Russian parents were always quick to chip in eye watering sums for donations for capital projects.

@LizDoingTheCanCan It really isn't that many is it. LIke someone said, 1 per school. And probably only a teeny tiny % of that number are actually children of Oligarchs, most are middle class Russians.

It's not just school fees is it though? An oligarch's daughter went to my old school (after I left). It was a running joke about the extraordinary investment the school had in its facilities from her father. Millions that they school benefited from. It's all part of reputation-washing and to further embed their dirty money in UK society. It's not just Russia either.

@Chocalata x-post I think a lot of bursars turn a blind eye based on my previous post. It is really difficult to establish source of funds in those types of environments.

@Ketchupman
But presumably the schools checked the money before they took the fees and the donations? There are pretty stringent rules about this aren't there?

[quote Chocalata]@Ketchupman
But presumably the schools checked the money before they took the fees and the donations? There are pretty stringent rules about this aren't there?[/quote]
Not really. The money laundering regulations don't apply to schools (although they will apply to their banks).

Yes they should but doesn't mean that it happens. Schools don't put enough resources in to forensically audit the source of all the school fees.

@mynameiscalypso I think things have changed since our day though haven't they? My boarding school was awash with Arab princes who parents made enormous donations here there and everywhere every time one of them got caught dealing drugs. But there are very stringent checks now on sources of money. I just don't think you can launder money at a private school.