259 Russians bought Maltese citizenship last year alone

The list of new citizens published in the Malta Government Gazette of 2 August, which covers only 2015, includes the names of 259 Russians – individuals and family groups – who paid for their Maltese citizenship.

I have just been through the list, counting all the names which are obviously Russian and eliminating those in which the first names and spelling of the surname allow for the possibility that they might be from Eastern Europe. I have also left out the Russian women whose Russian/Maltese surnames indicate that they acquired citizenship through marriage to a Maltese man.

The vast majority of the 259 are in family groups with a shared surname, or husband-and-wife couples, which means that most of them paid just €50,000 or €25,000 for their Maltese passport and EU citizenship.

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