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Vasily Golubev, former governor of Russia's Rostov Region (2010-2024).
The children of Vasily Golubev, a former governor of Russia’s southern Rostov Region and a current member of the country’s Federation Council, have acquired luxury real estate in Dubai worth approximately €10.5 million ($11.5 million or around 1 billion rubles), according to a new investigation by the late Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF).
In December 2022, Golubev’s son, Alexei, purchased the family’s first property in Dubai — a 405 m² penthouse in the prestigious Six Senses Residences The Palm complex. The apartment was bought for €6.5 million (equivalent to 475 million rubles at the time of purchase). Investigators also discovered that Alexei Golubev holds citizenship of Saint Kitts and Nevis — a Caribbean tax haven.
Rublyovka
“Rublyovka” is the unofficial name of a prestigious residential area in the western suburbs of Moscow, located along Rublyovo-Uspenskoye Highway, which gives the area its nickname. As Rublyovka's gated communities are home to multiple Russian government officials and businesspeople, The New York Times called it “home to the sprawling villas of Russia's ruling class.”
![[object Object]](data:image/jpeg;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAAAAAA6fptVAAAACklEQVR4nGNiAAAABgADNjd8qAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==)
An apartment at Six Senses Residences The Palm in Dubai.
Data confirming Alexei Golubev's ownership of the apartment.
In spring 2023, Svetlana Golubeva, the former governor’s daughter, acquired two apartments in Bluewaters Bay, each measuring 122 m² — one in March and another in May. That April, her husband, Pyotr Kobyakov, also purchased an apartment in the same building.
In total, the Golubev family’s real estate acquisitions in Dubai over less than six months amount to €10.5 million.Beyond their high-end properties in the UAE, the family of the incumbent senator also owns multiple private homes and apartments in Russia, with a total estimated value of 1.5 billion rubles (approximately $18 million).
Vasily Golubev personally owns a mansion in the Vodopadny village in Rostov Region, valued at around 30 million rubles. ACF refers to Vodopadny as the “local Rublyovka” — comparing it to the eponymous ultra-elite district in Russia's capital, Moscow.
Alexei Golubev owns a house in Agalarov Estate, an exclusive residential complex in the Moscow Region, as well as an apartment in central Moscow.
Svetlana Golubeva has two apartments in the heart of Moscow — one on Mosfilmovskaya Street and another on Arbat Street.
Vasily Golubev served as the governor of the Rostov Region from 2010 to 2024. In November of last year, he transitioned to a position in the Federation Council, the Russian parliament’s upper chamber.
Rublyovka
“Rublyovka” is the unofficial name of a prestigious residential area in the western suburbs of Moscow, located along Rublyovo-Uspenskoye Highway, which gives the area its nickname. As Rublyovka's gated communities are home to multiple Russian government officials and businesspeople, The New York Times called it “home to the sprawling villas of Russia's ruling class.”