The Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), founded by Alexei Navalny and designated as an extremist organization in Russia, said Svetlana Polyakova, whom the group calls a close acquaintance of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, was granted UAE citizenship on December 28, 2022, for "services to the state." Her daughter Polina Kovaleva became a UAE citizen on December 17, 2022, on the basis of employment.
According to the investigation, UAE citizenship is available only to select categories of foreigners, such as investors, scientists, doctors, or cultural figures. Candidates must be nominated by state bodies, and the decision is made at the country's leadership level. Known UAE passport holders include Telegram founder Pavel Durov and UFC fighter Khamzat Chimaev.
Polyakova's close relationship with Lavrov came to light in 2021. According to iStories, she worked at the Russian Foreign Ministry and accompanied the minister on trips. In several people's phones, she was listed as "Svetlana Lavrova," though she did not officially bear that surname. Journalists also found that Polyakova owned property worth over 700 million rubles. The FBK investigation alleged that Polyakova and her family used private jets and overseas property belonging to businessman Oleg Deripaska.
Before the war, Kovaleva lived in Britain: she studied at Imperial College London's business school and owned several British companies. In 2016, at age 21, she acquired a 999-year lease on an apartment in the upscale Kensington district for 4.4 million pounds. After the war began and sanctions were imposed, Kovaleva left England and took a job at Qatar Investment in Doha.