R&R behind enemy lines: Rectors of universities tied to Russia’s military-industrial complex acquire luxury properties in Italy

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Mikhail Pogosyan, MAI: From fighter jets to Alpine slopes

Mikhail Pogosyan is one of the most prominent figures in Russia’s aviation industry. He currently serves as Rector of the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI) and boasts an impressive résumé: Doctor of Technical Sciences, professor, member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and recipient of multiple state awards.

From 1998 to 2011, Pogosyan served as head of the Sukhoi Company, and from 2008 to 2011 he did double duty as the leader of the MiG Corporation. During his tenure at Sukhoi, the Su-27, Su-30, and carrier-based Su-33 fighter jets were developed and modernized, earning him the Order of Honor in 2002 for his work on the Su-33. Pogosyan also oversaw the development of the fifth-generation Su-57, Russia’s most advanced fighter jet to date. According to media reports, nearly all of these aircraft are now being used by Russian forces in Ukraine. He later became President of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) — a position he held from 2011 to 2015.

Pogosyan also spearheaded the launch of the Sukhoi Superjet 100 project. Media reports suggest that the commercial failure of the Superjet played a role in his resignation from UAC.

Today, Pogosyan leads MAI — one of Russia’s top aviation and aerospace universities, and also a key supplier of personnel for the country’s military-industrial complex. The university offers targeted enrollment for major defense companies, including Sukhoi Design Bureau, Yakovlev, Russian Helicopters, and the Almaz-Antey concern. MAI also operates its own drone development center and collaborates closely with major defense enterprises. Because of these ties, MAI has been sanctioned by the U.S., EU, Switzerland, Japan, and Ukraine.

Under Pogosyan’s leadership, MAI has not only continued to train engineers but has also become actively involved in supporting the war effort. Official university publications frequently report that students and staff are weaving camouflage nets, putting together “humanitarian” aid packages for the front, and writing letters to “defenders of the Fatherland.” In 2022, Pogosyan signed a statement by the Russian Union of Rectors that effectively endorsed the invasion of Ukraine and expressed support for the actions of the Russian army. In 2024, he also served as an authorized representative for Vladimir Putin in the run-up to the presidential election — which, as has become custom during the past 25 years, was marred by ballot stuffing, cash-filled envelopes, multiple voting, and the usual chicanery designed to guarantee yet another term for the incumbent.

However, while Pogosyan helped develop fighter jets for Russia’s air force and led major aviation corporations, his family was quietly building a life in Europe. The Insider and the Agents of War project uncovered that Pogosyan’s daughter, Olga, owns a 692-square-meter property in the Italian town of Arizzano at address Via Nuova Intra Premeno, 28. Nestled in the picturesque province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, the house overlooks the stunning Lake Maggiore. According to the real estate portal Immobiliare.it, properties in this area can be valued at several million euros.

The house was purchased in 2011 by Pogosyan’s wife, Natalya, and was transferred to their daughter Olga in 2013. At the time of the purchase, business registries show that Natalya Pogosyan had no declared business assets. It is highly unlikely that either Natalya or Olga Pogosyan could have afforded such an expensive property without outside help, raising suspicions that Mikhail Pogosyan himself may be the true beneficiary.

Notably, Mikhail Pogosyan was elected rector of MAI in June 2016, and by December 2017, Olga Pogosyan had been appointed head of the university’s International Activities Department. Prior to that, she had worked at the investment banks Troika Dialog and Sberbank CIB.

Nikolay Kudryavtsev, MIPT: A Milanese paradise

Nikolay Kudryavtsev is the president of the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT), better known as “Fiztekh.” Considered one of Russia’s most prestigious technical universities, MIPT is also an important part of the country’s military-industrial complex. The university has long cooperated with Russia’s leading defense enterprises, and its graduates work in design bureaus, research centers, and private corporations.

Like MAI, MIPT came under Western sanctions after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine due to its role in developing military technologies — including drones. The university actively collaborates with state corporations and is involved in a wide range of military projects — from the creation of carrier-based drones showcased at the “Okean-2024” military exercises to 3D systems used in the assembly of MiG fighter jets.

At the “Army-2024” forum, MIPT unveiled several new pieces of equipment, including strike drones. Among them was the “Irbis-632” hexacopter (of the “Baba Yaga” class), which its developers claim is capable of carrying FPV drones and is already being tested at the front.

In March 2022, Kudryavtsev — like Pogosyan — signed the Russian Union of Rectors’ statement in support of Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine. He also served on the supervisory board of Sberbank, leading the UK government to impose sanctions against him in 2022.

However, Kudryavtsev’s “patriotic” rhetoric and close ties to the military sharply contrast with his family’s lifestyle: his daughter, Olga, owns two apartments in neighborhoods that are among the most prestigious in Milan:

• A 170-square-meter apartment at address Via Pietro Moscati, 8, located in Milan’s historic center near the Arco della Pace and Parco Sempione. It was purchased on Aug. 1, 2023, by Kudryavtsev’s granddaughter, Sofia, who had just turned 18. On July 10, 2024, ownership was transferred to Olga Kudryavtseva.

• A 91-square-meter apartment at Via Torino, 64, just 700 meters from the Milan Cathedral and the Royal Palace, purchased on October 15, 2022.

According to Immobiliare.it, property prices in these districts start at around 8,000 euros per square meter — meaning each apartment could be worth hundreds of thousands or even millions of euros.

Olga Kudryavtseva is listed as the founder of several Russian companies, including QuartzInvest, Solitex, Inzhinirkomekt, and Spetsmashinvent. Until 2023, Nikolay Kudryavtsev himself was also among the founders, but following British sanctions — including asset freezes and travel bans imposed on September 26, 2022 — he gradually divested his shares, fully withdrawing from these businesses by January 2023.

Both Milan properties were acquired after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, at a time when Nikolay Kudryavtsev was actively divesting from his business holdings, likely in an effort to minimize the risk of incurring additional sanctions. Assets not directly tied to him are significantly harder to freeze.

Although Olga Kudryavtseva may have her own financial resources, her close business ties with her father — including their previously shared ownership of several companies — suggest that Nikolay Kudryavtsev himself could be the true beneficiary of the Milan real estate. The properties appear to function not only as investments, but also as a safeguard against sanctions for the family of the self-proclaimed “patriot.”

The real estate acquisitions by the families of Mikhail Pogosyan and Nikolay Kudryavtsev expose the contradiction between the prominent Russian figures’ public support for the war and active participation in the military-industrial complex on the one hand — and their private lifestyles on the other.

While students at the Moscow Aviation Institute and the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology are busy developing military technologies and strike drones “for the sake of national defense,” the families of their rectors are investing in luxury homes and apartments in Italy — a country that Russian authorities officially label a “hostile state.”