Even as he called on Europe to deny visas to Russian tourists, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has let his luxury villa in Italy to Russians. The villa is rented by a Russian couple who provided their London address.
The couple rented the villa for the month of August, paying the princely sum of €50,000 ($50,237). The villa, located in the seaside town of Forte dei Marmi, was bought by Zelensky for four million euros while the Ukrainian leader was still an actor, according to RT News.
Fee Agreed With The Agency is 50,000 Euros
The duo have also made posts on social media sites confirming that they are staying in the property of the Ukrainian President.
The realtor who is managing the property was contacted by the Italian media, but they denied reports that the tenants were Russians.
Tenants Are Of Russian Origin
"The tenants weren't Russian, but I can't say more because privacy prevents me." However, reports claimed that tenants are of Russian origin, but have long since had their residence and perhaps English citizenship."
Zelensky has urged the EU to deny visas to Russian visitors, stating that Russians should live in their own world until they change their philosophy. He also urged Italy to deny visas to Russian tourists.
Back in March, Zelensky specifically called on the Italian government to "block all [Russian] real estate, accounts and yachts, from the Scheherazade to the smallest ones," referring to a 140-meter (460 ft) superyacht allegedly belonging to a wealthy Russian individual that was moored at the Italian port of Marina di Carrara, according to RT News.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, all flights between Russia and EU have been halted. On Wednesday, a bilateral visa facilitation agreement between the EU and Russia was also suspended by the bloc. Due to the suspension of the agreement, the number of EU visas for Russians has been limited. Although, the travel between the two region is not eliminated entirely.
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