Russia became the world leader in the number of children who study in the UK. From 2005 to 2017, the amount of Russian students has increased by 77%, says consulting company Knight Frank. In 2016-2017, English private schools accepted 608 children from Russia. Russiangate remembers officials who paid for the education of their heirs in prestigious educational institutions of Great Britain.
Yekaterina Vinokurova
The daughter of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov received a Master’s degree in the UK. Yekaterina Vinokurova graduated from the London School of Economics in 2006. And today the cost of a two-year MA program for an international student is £ 56,000 or 4.4 million rubles. It is one of the most prestigious London universities.
Vinokurova’s first education took place in America. At first, she studied at The Dwight School, one of Manhattan’s elite educational institutions, and then studied political science at Columbia University.
Anastasia Zheleznyak
The elder daughter of State Duma deputy Sergei Zheleznyak studied at the Queen Mary University of London. This is one of the largest universities in the UK: it even has its own campus in central London – with dormitories, restaurants and banks. From 2012 to 2014, Anastasia Zheleznyak studied international relations at the QMU. Three years of his daughter’s education cost the father 3.7 million rubles. The cost of one year of study on this program for foreign students is now £ 16,000.
Zheleznyak’s infusion into the English educational system was far from over. Since 2014, Anastasia started a Master’s program in King’s College London. There she received an MA in risk analysis in geography. The cost of studying on this program for foreign students is £ 19,000 or 1.5 million rubles a year.
Nikolai Remezkov
One of the sons of State Duma deputy Alexander Remezkov, Nikolai Remezkov, in 2008, was in the elite British private boarding school called Malvern College. In addition to the standard set of subjects, children at this school study Latin, religion, design, theatrical work and the art of debate. The cost of studies in Malvern College reaches £ 36,000 or 2.8 million rubles a year.
Nikolay Mizulin
Member of the Federation Council from the Omsk Region Yelena Mizulina also sent her son to study abroad. From 2002 to 2003, Nikolai Mizulin studied the humanities at Oxford University. This is the leader of the ratings of the most prestigious educational institutions of the world, and the education there is obviously not free. In order to spend a year in Oxford, one needs to stump up about £ 20 thousand or 1.6 million rubles. After studying in England, Mizulin did not want to return to his homeland – now he lives in Belgium and works as a partner in the American law firm Mayer Brown.
Alexey Golubev
The son of Governor of the Rostov Region Vasily Golubev received a Master’s degree in business administration at the University of Wolverhampton. To repeat the fate of the governor’s son today, one will have to pay £ 12 thousand or 1 million rubles to the university for one year of studying.
Yuri Belykh
Ex-governor of the Kirov Region Nikita Belykh is now being tried for taking bribes amounting to € 600 thousand. Even before the initiation of the case, he sent his eldest son Yuri to study at an English boarding school. About his intention, he reported on his LJ, calling it “a very difficult decision.”
Back then, Belykh did not specify the name of the school, but the amount spent on studying his son surfaced in court. This was told by Belykh’s friend – Alexey Pikhteev, who at one time managed the the ex-governor’s finances. He estimated that about 2.5 million rubles a year were spent for Yuri’s education in Great Britain. According to the anti-corruption declaration for 2015, Belykh earned about the same amount for the year – 2.1 million rubles.