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.

@Cismyfatarse I don’t think anyone is whipping up hatred on here, it is very nuanced subject and there is no easy answer. There has been lots of really helpful and knowledgeable opinion.

@DuesToTheDirt I think lots of people have talked about the mental health of these children and how they would probably be rather be in their home country with their family at a time like this. I hope that the pastoral care in place recognises how difficult it must be to be so far away from their families. There is an article up thread with quotes from ISC representatives talking about the measures that are being put in place to protect them.

As an example, this is what you see for an individual on the UK sanctions list (this info is all published on the govt website so there are no GDPR breaches here):

5. Primary Name: Vladlen Yurievich STEPANOV Given Name Variations: Vladlen Yuryevich a.k.a (Non-Latin Script): Владлен Юрьевич СТЕПАНОВ D.O.B: 17/07/1962 Gender: Male Sanctions Imposed: Asset freeze and Travel ban Other Information: Husband of Olga STEPANOVA at the time of the serious corruption UK Statement of Reasons: In December 2007, an organised criminal group was involved in serious corruption through the misappropriation of the equivalent of $230m of Russian state property via a complex scheme involving a fraudulent tax rebate. STEPANOV participated in the serious corruption through his involvement, in particular, owning a bank account which received misappropriated funds. His actions provided support for or facilitated the misappropriation. He transferred or converted, or facilitated the transfer or conversion of, the proceeds the serious corruption, and benefitted financially from the serious corruption. Stepanov is also associated with Olga Stepanova, his then wife, who is also a person involved in serious corruption. Regime Type (UK, UN): UK Date Designated: 26/04/2021 Last Updated: 26/04/2021 Unique ID: GAC0005 OFSI ID: 14101

@Kilimanjaro97
Will fees be able to be paid from Russia (those that aren’t paid for years in advance)?

@DuesToTheDirt

This makes me uncomfortable. Reminds me of Japanese prison camps in California during WWII, in which ordinary Japanese/American citizens were incarcerated. OK we're not imprisoning people (yet) but we are putting pressure on people who are living in this country and have nothing to do with the war.

What makes you think the oligarchs and their families are living in this country? Owning property here and/or sending your child(ren) to boarding school is not necessarily living here or being resident.

[quote Chocalata]@Cismyfatarse I don’t think anyone is whipping up hatred on here, it is very nuanced subject and there is no easy answer. There has been lots of really helpful and knowledgeable opinion.[/quote]
No. They certainly are not. But it is happening in schools and causing issues which require very careful handling. Not easy for teachers (I am one) when they too feel very strongly about events but have to care for children.

My Dad was (years ago) legal paid guardian for a number of these children and many were dumped here, rather unwanted, to be brought up by schools. He had one who had never met his Dad who just paid the fees and (illegitimate child) wanted him out of the way in the UK.

@Kilimanjaro97
I found a bit about the paying of fees during sanctions here (below). Who would want to be a bursar over the last two years! First covid rebates and then Russian oligarchs unable to pay fees due to financial sanctions.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/business/2022/feb/26/frozen-out-how-the-uks-sanctions-against-russia-will-work

@Kilimanjaro97

Many of these children and their parents are British citizens. Parents came as high net worth investors and could obtain citizenship after five years residence.

Does anyone know about Roman Abromovich and his kids? I understand Roman doesn’t have British citizenship, he had to get Israeli citizenship instead. So why couldn’t he get British citizenship? What about his kids in London? His Dd has been posting anti Putin stuff so if she gets deported she could be in trouble.

Does anyone know about Roman Abromovich and his kids? I understand Roman doesn’t have British citizenship, he had to get Israeli citizenship instead. So why couldn’t he get British citizenship? What about his kids in London? His Dd has been posting anti Putin stuff so if she gets deported she could be in trouble.

Are you seriously worried about this? He's a billionaire, he owns his own plane and the 3rd biggest yacht in the world. He has homes in London, Antibes, Israel, New York, St Barts, just to name a few. I don't think he or his kids need to be worrying just yet. Unlike the poor Ukrainians.

I’m not worried. I’m just curious. 🤷‍♀️ Maybe you should read my other posts on this very thread where I say I’m far more worried about the Ukrainian kids than the Russian kids.

@CovidCorvid I think at the same time as being horrified by the war, many of us are also deeply curious about how things got this bad under our noses in the UK.

My understanding, OP, is that oligarchs children and indeed children of rich Russian parents in general, are unevenly distributed. A majority of private schools will have none and most parents of children at private schools will say there are none for that reason

Zilla I am being stupid but I don’t understand the second sentence: what reason do the parents say those private schools have no Russian children?

@TomatoCultivator you're not being stupid and I could be wrong and I didn't explain my thinking when I asserted - A majority of private schools will have none and most parents of children at private schools will say there are none for that reason

To illustrate with silly numbers, suppose there are 100 private schools each with 100 pupils. All the Russian oligarch children go to one school. Hence 99 schools with 100 pupils with 2 parents gives 18800 parents who have no children of Russian oligarchs at their school. The 200 parents at the 1 school with the children of Russian oligarchs say there are such children at their school. Hence only 200 of 20000 parents = 1% and the majority legitimately say there are none at their children's school. Does that make sense? The numbers are illustrative but IME such children will be in a few % of private schools, the Eton, Harrow, Westminsters, not the provincial day schools, if they aren't at Le Rosey or just follow their parents and have tutors. I could be wrong, I usually am.

Got it, Zilla - what you say makes sense.

First time for everything.

I used to work at a boarding school in the 90’s/ early 00s. The school was in the top 500 rather than the top 100 in the country at the time, judged by exam results.

We started taking children from Russia, some of whose parents wanted to pay the fees for all 3 or 5 years in cash in advance.

After a few years the school learned that the source of the money might not be - wholly legitimate?- and we just stopped accepting any more. I’m not sure if there was before all this, but soon after I saw a clause in the contract that all parents sign before their children start that the school fees are not paid from the proceeds of crime.

Like most schools we had far more applicants than places, so there was no need to take children just to stay financially solvent.

I didn’t think that school was unusual so am surprised that there are so many students from Russia in UK schools. It’s not the same situation if the parents are living in the UK, though.

Eton unlike many private schools is over subscribed and as a matter of policy restricts the maximum number of foreign children,its something like a max of 10%,so the actual number of Russians at the school is actually very small,let alone the children of oligarchs..I dont want to name the schools but youll find more Russians at what might be called the close but no cigar schools,one co-ed on the south coast for example is very popular. think not top top london day and top twenty rather than top four or five boarding..they tend not to get into the oversubscribed schools in numbers,that isnt to say they dont try...

@nolanscrack yes someone mentioned Brighton College upthread. And Roedean and Cheltenham Ladies have been mentioned by someone I know. My friend with a DC at Eton said they don’t know of any children of Oligarchs which surprised me but as you say it is very academic so you can’t just buy your way in by offering a science block. Although someone did mention Wycombe Abbey which is very academic.

I think some schools advertise very specifically at the international market, Russia being key in this. My old school certainly did and, at the time I was there, was "the" school to go to within lots of international communities, but relatively little known in the UK, despite being extremely strong academically. We had a really high proportion of Russian children when I was there, all very obviously from extremely wealthy families.

I don't know about the technicalities of it in terms of money laundering etc. I do know that the girls I went to school with were lovely people and, like others, I feel sad for those children who are stuck in an international school away from their families in the current situation.

@toastfiend it would be interesting to see a list of facilities and buildings at various boarding schools that have been purchased by oligarchs. Let’s hope the schools haven’t named the music block or gym after any dodgy donors or there will be some quick name changing going on!!!

at what might be called the close but no cigar schools

What’s a ‘close but no cigar’ school?

Decent enough schools but not the household name type of school

Anecdata but children don't always attend school with their true family name if there are security concerns.

Also, Le Rosey or smaller Swiss schools or staying with the family with dedicated private tutors are also favoured.

[quote Chocalata]@CovidCorvid I think at the same time as being horrified by the war, many of us are also deeply curious about how things got this bad under our noses in the UK.[/quote]
@chocolata Hmmmn... ToriesToriesTories

They've been happy to take their money. They've been happy to let Putin swing the Brexit vote. They're fine with authoritarian regimes. In fact they want to restrict the right to protest, ban refugees, reduce benefits, reduce environmental protections, etc etc in this country.

TBH children of oligarchs at private schools don't concern me that much, it's crap if your parent is a burglar or a drug dealer or any other kind of criminal but you don't get a free pass to live off crooked money.