Russian oligarchs loved Sardinia. Now they’re frozen out of paradise.
Even among the billionaires who flock to this Italian vacation enclave, the Russian oligarchs stood out.
They bought up the choicest villas along the coast, building de facto empires shielded behind clipped hedges and surveillance cameras. They were known among real estate agents for always wanting armed guards. One mining and metals tycoon, Alisher Usmanov, would announce his presence every summer with the arrival of one of the world’s largest yachts, which he’d park in the turquoise bay, shuttling between the vessel and his villas, flying in guests on helicopters.
“It was like having an oligarch state right here in Sardinia,” said Mauro Pili, a journalist who was once this island’s governor.
That state has now been dismantled.
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