For some people, the sanctions against Russia have become a disaster: this is the case of the Emerald Coast of Sardinia, which for many years was literally colonized by Russian oligarchs who built luxury properties there and moored their yachts. In this context, their absence in the summer that just passed was more than obvious, reports Euronews, as quoted by Rador.

In Porto Cervo, for example, we meet a man who worked as a driver for a Russian tycoon and who lost his job after the sanctions. The man agreed to the interview only on the condition of anonymity.

“Such work has decreased significantly because these people stopped coming here this summer. And we, ordinary people, suffered. The oligarchs are full of money, and they went to rest in another direction.”

In addition to investments in services and real estate, some have even financed public administration: such as the case of Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, who donated half a million euros to the Sardinia region at the beginning of the pandemic.

But with the sanctions, dozens of workers have been fired or suspended indefinitely.

“These people have no limits,” the driver continues. “So in order to make their vacation as luxurious as possible, they hired more people than they needed.”

In the city of Porto Cervo, the oligarchs’ ban has left behind a mosaic of empty or confiscated villas and yachts, and an entire industry wondering if it can start again.