The Secret Super Rich Russian Invasion
The East Mediterranean island country Cyprus has around 3,400 hours of sunshine every year, nearly three times as much as London, which has around 1,460. With a subtropical climate and a rich culture, Cyprus is not only an ideal holiday destination for people from all over the world. It is also a prime spot for some of the richest Russians to holiday, and even live in. Besides the obvious attractions, the easy citizenship conditions and close proximity to Russia makes Cyprus a top destination for some of the most moneyed Russians.
Limassolgrad
The coastal city Limassol has become so popular with affluent Russians that they have started jokingly calling it ‘Limassolgrad’. The tourist strip on Limassol runs along the Mediterranean Sea and at first glance, it looks like a typical coastal tourist strip. It is flanked by palm trees and frequented by relaxed people wearing bright summer clothes; it doesn’t really get far below 20 degrees in Cyprus ever.
When you start looking around and visiting the shops it becomes obvious that it is not quite a typical tourist strip. Billboards written in Russian, advertising luxury goods and sea view apartments make it obvious who the big buyers are. Even many of the ordinary signs around Limassol are written in Russian. Shops sell typically Russian products like Baltika, a Russian beer and Kefir, a yoghurt drink popular in Russia. There are Russian restaurants and an annual Cypriot-Russian festival on the seafront. Over 10,000 Russians live in Cyprus and they are certainly entrenched.
What More Can a Rich Russian Want?
The Limassol harbour offers a safe haven for Russian oligarchs to park their luxurious superyachts and there are car rental agencies specialising in luxury vehicles like Porsches and Ferraris. Limassol has Russian schools, newspapers published in Russian and luxury boutiques with some of the best mink coats in the world on offer from high-end shops like Avanti Furs. The tropical climate is certainly not going to stand between a wealthy Russian woman and her mink.