The Russian Federation Council consistently votes for punishments against Russians – for example, they can get up to 15 years in jail for anti-war statements and up to 10 years for avoiding mobilization.
He openly supports Vladimir Putin's claims about the hostile foreign countries trying to destroy Russia.
Meanwhile, many relatives and friends of Russian senators live comfortably abroad, conduct business there, work in foreign companies, and own costly real estate. Foreign assets held by their family members are currently secure. Sanctions imposed on members of the Federation Council do not affect their relatives and friends unless it is proven that the property actually belongs to the sanctioned individual.
Vyacheslav Timchenko, senator from the Kirov region
“…The West, particularly the United States, is determined to suffocate Russia. Currently, we provide support to many regions of the Russian Federation, including the Kirov region. I don’t believe that supporting the DPR and LPR will require significant financial resources, and our citizens will not experience a decline in their socio-economic well-being.
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Under sanctions: EU, UK, Canada, Switzerland, Australia, Ukraine, New Zealand
Assets: daughter’s residence (Czech Republic)
Senator since 2014, previously a State Duma deputy from 2003. The Scanner Project found that Vyacheslav Timchenko, along with his wife Marina Timchenko, owned the Czech company Inter-Veka sro, which had a house registered in the small town of Rzhimov in the south of the Czech Republic. After senators were prohibited from owning shares in foreign companies, Timchenko transferred the company to his daughter Ekaterina Loginova, who then registered the house under her own name.
Alexander Bryksin, senator from the Kursk region
Alexander Bryksin
Under sanctions: EU, UK, Canada, Switzerland, Australia, Ukraine, New Zealand
Assets: residence (Spain)
Senator since 2021, previously a State Duma deputy from United Russia for 10 years. Bryksin was a shareholder of the largest manufacturer of rubber products “Kurskrezinotekhnika”.
Bryksin and his wife Svetlana own a 75.7 square meter apartment in the Spanish city of Torrevieja in the province of Alicante. They have possessed this property since 2006.
Bryksin has not publicly commented on the situation in Ukraine.
Artem Sheikin, Senator from the Amur Region
Artem Sheikin
“I believe that the liberated territories long ago, eight years ago, began their journey home to Russia. Therefore, the sooner citizens now confirm their choice in a referendum, the sooner the fighting and suffering of the common people will end. Russia does not abandon its own people and will do everything possible to make the residents of the liberated territories feel safe.”
Under sanctions: EU, UK, Canada, Switzerland, Australia, Ukraine, New Zealand
Assets: the former spouse's residence (Spain)
Senator since 2021.
In 2020, Sheikin was a freelance adviser to the Governor of the Amur Region, Vasily Orlov, and then was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Amur Region, which delegated him to the Federation Council.
In 2021, Shaikin announced that his young child was using a 148 square meter residential building in Spain. Shaikin himself is divorced, his former wife is the owner of the aesthetic medicine center Anna Kviria. Her Spanish company Inversiones Niksa SL owns a 535.54 square meter house.
Sergey Lukin, lawmaker from the Voronezh region
Sergei Lukin
Under sanctions: USA, Canada, Ukraine, New Zealand
Assets: son’s apartment (Montenegro), son’s and grandson’s apartment (Montenegro), ex-wife’s apartment (Montenegro)
“Apart from the unparalleled sanctions pressure and extensive cyber attacks on the websites of state bodies and essential structures, a large amount of propaganda aimed at destabilizing the situation in the country also descended upon Russia”
Senator from 2013, previously a member of the Voronezh Regional Duma for 12 years. In Soviet times, he became the director of the Voronezh House-Building Plant, which later became his property. After being elected to the regional Duma, Lukin transferred his business to his son Alexander Lukin, the other part of the assets was recorded in the name of Vera Lukin, the former wife of the senator.
Until 2021, Lukin declared that he owns half of the apartment in Montenegro, then he handed it over to his relatives. In total, the senator’s family owns three small apartments in the first line on the coast in the resort town of Becici, not far from Budva.
Arsen Kanokov, lawmaker from Kabardino-Balkaria
Arsen Kanokov
Under sanctions: Canada, Ukraine
Assets: house of daughter and son-in-law (USA)
Senator from 2013. Kanokov headed Kabardino-Balkaria for eight years. The senator owns the Sindika group of companies, which owns shopping centers, hotels and markets throughout the country. According to Forbes magazinein 2021 the group owned 440,000 square meters of retail space and 2,127 hotel rooms.
The daughter of Arsen Kanokov, Madina Kanokova, is married to a US citizen, artist and photographer Jabakh Kakhado. The couple owns a house in New Jersey in the United States.
20-year-old son, Albert Kanokov, according to his social networks, lives and studies in London. He regularly posts photos with his father in London’s prestigious Kensington area. In 2017-2019, Kanokov declared that his two minor children use a hostel in the UK (perhaps they studied at a traditional English school). […]
Valentina Matvienko, Head of the Federation Council
Valentina Matvienko
“The collective West, NATO, through the hands of Ukrainians, began to implement their plans to practically destroy Russia, abolish everything Russian, destroy our economy, they are already openly arguing that Russia needs to be conquered and divided into parts”
Under sanctions: EU, UK, USA, Canada, Switzerland, Australia, Japan, Ukraine, New Zealand
Assets: son’s estate (Italy)
She has been the head of the Federation Council since 2011, and is also a member of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, which has taken over the adoption of key decisions in the country. Sanctions were imposed on Valentina Matvienko back in 2014 after the annexation of Crimea.
Valentina Matvienko’s son, Sergei Matvienko, became a successful businessman in St. Petersburg when his mother was governor. The son’s companies received city contracts, were engaged in the construction and development business, owned real estate in the center of St. Petersburg.
Sergei Matvienko owns an estate in the Italian city of Pesaro. The property is registered with the Italian fund Dominanta, which does not disclose its owners. But Navalny’s supporters found a tablet with data on the reconstruction of the villa, where Sergey Matvienko was listed as the customer of the work. His wife, Yulia Matvienko, has repeatedly posted pictures from the villa on Instagram. Sergei Matvienko is under Canadian sanctions. […]