{
  "id": 19163497,
  "title": "Europe is off-limits to much of Russia’s elite. Now sanctioned oligarchs, government officials, and hackers are spending millions at a luxury ski resort in the Altai Mountains.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/europe-is-off-limits-to-much-of-russias-elite-now-sanctioned",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-11-09T13:49:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Meduza (English)",
    "slug": "meduza-english",
    "url": "https://meduza.io/en/feature/2026/11/09/europe-is-off-limits-to-much-of-russia-s-elite-now-sanctioned-oligarchs-government-officials-and-hackers-are-spending-millions-at-a-luxury-ski-resort-in-the-altai-mountains"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In 2025, Sberbank, a Russian state bank, established a luxury ski resort named \"Manzherok\" in the Altai region. The resort's CEO, Herman Gref, aimed to make it the most extravagant in the country, and it has now become a popular destination for high-profile Russians, including government officials, businessmen, hackers, and individuals linked to Russia's Federal Security Service. These guests are provided with personal security, transportation, and butlers, and are treated to \"sanctioned goods.\" The resort's creators acquired local residents' properties, transforming the area into Russia's version of Courchevel. As part of a transportation arrangement in July 2025, Altai's traffic police temporarily closed the Chuysky Trakt, a main road through the republic, to allow government delegations, including Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, to travel unimpeded to Manzherok. This resort, which spent nearly 440 million rubles on a four-day cultural and entertainment program for international guests, has seen criticism from local residents who feel the construction and presence of the resort have negatively impacted their community.",
  "summary": "In 2025, after many wealthy Russians had already been living under sanctions for several years, Sberbank, a Russian state bank, opened a ski resort called “Manzherok” in the Altai region. Sberbank CEO Herman Gref envisioned it as becoming the most luxurious resort in the country. Sberbank succeeded — and now 13 guarded villas host wealthy Russians. After reviewing the resort’s internal documents,…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}