Putin's $245,000 gift to his former Jewish high school teacher during 2005 state visit to Israel supplied by Roman Abramovich
By Ksenia Zhukova
April 02, 2023
During a state visit to Israel in 2005, Putin met an elderly Jewish widow, Yuditskaya-Berliner from Russia, who was one of his high school teachers.
After a brief meeting, the Russian leader showered her with gifts and, according to her, agreed to buy an apartment for $208,000.
Newly unearthed financial records show the true source of the funds was an offshore account secretly controlled by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.
According to The Washington Post, the act of money transfer is dated June 29, 2005, two months after Putin's visit to Jerusalem. It lists her as the recipient of a $245,000 transfer on the same day to NP Gemini Holdings Ltd., a Cypriot shell company.
Abramovich's name does not appear in any documents or corporate documents of the firm in Cyprus. But documents and records from a 2008 London court case identify Abramovich as the owner of the Gemini.