The Insider recently reported that Russia’s political and business elites, as well as their friends and family, have been able to travel abroad using diplomatic passports for several years. Russian law does not explicitly allow non-diplomats to obtain diplomatic passports, but they may still be issued to anyone “as decided by the President of Russia,” creating an exploitable loophole. This has allowed individuals such as Western-sanctioned oligarchs Oleg Deripaska, Alisher Usmanov, and Ukrainian-sanctioned Igor Yusufov to hold Russian diplomatic passports, enabling them to travel internationally.
High-profile individuals holding Russian diplomatic passports include Rosneft state oil giant CEO Igor Sechin, who has reportedly used his diplomatic passport to travel to several EU countries and the Middle East since at least 2013. Putin aide and ex-minister Andrei Fursenko, as well as ex-prime minister Viktor Zubkov, have also utilized their diplomatic passports for travel to countries such as France, Germany, Iran, and Italy. Federal Security Service (FSB) chief Alexander Bortnikov and other FSB generals have reportedly used their diplomatic passports to visit countries like France and Switzerland prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Additionally, children of high-ranking officials have been recipients of diplomatic passports, including Ksenia Shoigu, the daughter of former defense minister Sergei Shoigu; Ilya Medvedev, the son of ex-president Dmitry Medvedev; and Alexander Mishustin, the son of Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. Russia’s Orthodox Church leader Patriarch Kirill has also used his diplomatic passport for visits to Germany, Austria, and Finland. While diplomatic passport holders are required to return the document after trips abroad, this rule is not always enforced, as some VIPs have been known to ignore the regulation.
The issuance of diplomatic passports in Russia appears to be a discretionary process, with requests for such passports being granted to individuals based on their connections to high-ranking officials. Former diplomats have stated that if the Presidential Administration or President Vladimir Putin request a diplomatic passport for a friend, it will likely be approved. The Insider’s investigation has revealed that various influential figures, including oligarchs, government officials, and their family members, have benefited from this system, allowing them to travel internationally with the privileges afforded by a diplomatic passport.
The use of diplomatic passports by non-diplomats has raised concerns about potential abuse of power and favoritism within Russia’s elite circles. The Insider’s findings suggest that the issuance of diplomatic passports is frequently used to provide special privileges to individuals with connections to those in power. This practice has enabled individuals to travel abroad with a higher level of diplomatic immunity and protection, potentially leading to questions about the fairness and transparency of the process. As the investigation sheds light on these practices, there may be calls for greater oversight and regulation regarding the issuance of diplomatic passports in Russia.
