Russian oligarch hires waterfront mansion on Bosphorus

ISTANBUL

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, who has been sanctioned by the U.K., European Union and Canada after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, has hired a waterfront mansion on the Bosphorus with a monthly rent of $50,000.

The mansion in the town of Anadoluhisarı, which was built about 50 years ago and has its own pier, is called after its former owner, Feyyaz Tokar.

Local media earlier reported that the 56-year-old tycoon has been spending his days in the European coastal districts of the metropolis looking for a waterfront mansion to buy.

According to Luxury Launches, a website publishing stories about the world’s jet set, Abramovich anchored two more superyachts in Turkish waters in August, bringing the total count to four.

He brought 67-meter-long “Garcon” and 55-meter-long “Halo” to the Aegean coastal district of Göcek.

The former Chelsea owner’s megayachts “Eclipse” and “Solaris” have been floating in the Aegean Sea since the start of the sanctions.

The total price of the four yachts is estimated to be around $1.2 billion.

Highlighting the interest of foreigners in real estate in Istanbul, Ulvi Özcan, the head of the Istanbul Real Estate Brokers Club (İSTEB), said: “Executive white-collar businessmen come to Istanbul to buy housing. Middle Easterners mostly come to obtain citizenship and passports as they see Istanbul as a gateway to Europe, while their preference is Esenyurt, Beylikdüzü, Halkalı and Avcılar districts on the European side.”

Russians and Iranians are also residing on Bağdat Street in the Kadıköy district, Özcan added.

With a net worth of $14.5 billion in 2021, Abramovich, who has Russian, Israeli and Portuguese citizenships, is the second richest person in Israel, the 11th richest man in Russia and the richest one in Portugal.

He is the owner of a private investment company Millhouse LLC.