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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Jasper Jolly

UK gave sanctioned Russians ‘golden visas’ after first Ukraine invasion

a street sign for Moscow Road in westminster
The golden visa scheme allowed people with at least £2m in investment funds and a UK bank account to apply for residency rights. Photograph: Richard Baker/In Pictures/Getty Images

Seven Russians now under sanctions were awarded controversial “golden visas” by the UK after Vladimir Putin’s regime first invaded Ukraine in 2014, the government has admitted.

The government closed the “tier 1 investor visa” scheme in February amid the build-up of Russian forces on Ukraine’s border as it prepared to broaden its occupation beyond Crimea, which it annexed in 2014.

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