Meduza reports UAE passports for two women linked to Lavrov

Meduza reported on September 7 that Svetlana Polyakova and her daughter, Polina Kovaleva, obtained United Arab Emirates passports after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Russian-language outlet attributed the findings to the Anti-Corruption Foundation. Its account links Polyakova personally to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov; the citizenship claim has not been independently established by the official sources reviewed here.

According to that account, both documents date from December 2022. The distinction between the reported acquisition and its disclosure matters: this is a newly published investigation into earlier events, rather than an announcement that citizenship was granted this week. No conclusion about sanctions evasion follows simply from possession of another passport.

An established sanctions connection

Britain's Foreign Office independently documented Kovaleva's connection to Lavrov when it announced her designation on March 24, 2022. That statement identified her as his stepdaughter and included her in a package targeting Russian strategic industries, banks and prominent individuals. It therefore establishes relevant sanctions history, while providing no confirmation of the subsequent passport allegations.

The announcement explained that an asset freeze restricts dealings with a designated person's funds and economic resources in the United Kingdom and prevents resources being supplied for their benefit. It also described travel restrictions on designated individuals. These are separate measures with specific legal effects; the announcement should not be read as a finding about any later conduct in the Emirates.

What the official framework establishes

Government guidance updated in May 2026 explains that Britain's Russia sanctions apply to activities within the UK, UK nationals overseas and UK-incorporated organisations operating internationally. It also prohibits knowing participation in activities intended to circumvent restrictions. The guidance supplies the enforcement framework relevant to the report, rather than evidence that either woman has breached it.

The government's sanctions-list publication provides the authoritative route for checking designations and their amendments, including procedures for seeking variation or revocation. Further reporting should establish whether official citizenship records substantiate the allegations and whether any competent authority announces a related action. Until then, the documented British designation and the separately attributed passport report must remain distinct.