Russian Media Claims Anatoly Chubais' Research Center Registered at Beauty Salon; Israeli Outlet Investigates
Russian media outlets reported on September 3rd that the Center for Russian Studies (CRS), an organization associated with Anatoly Chubais, is registered at a private home in Hadera, Israel, which reportedly houses a beauty salon. Izvestia and Argumenty Nedeli published articles alleging the center's relocation, with the former stating the organization's previous legal address was in Shoham. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova commented on the reports via Telegram, stating, "Who would doubt it?" Other Russian media, including TASS, echoed these reports, describing the CRS's alleged move to a commercial space operating as a beauty salon.
However, an investigation by Newsru.co.il found that the Center for Russian Studies has not moved and remains an academic research center within Tel Aviv University's Faculty of Social Sciences. It is listed among the university's official research centers, and its website identifies its staff as researchers at the Center for Russian Studies, Tel Aviv University. The center's listed contact address is a P.O. box in Tel Aviv.
The Russian media reports, according to Newsru.co.il, confused the academic center's location with the legal address of an Israeli non-profit organization, "The Association for Research on Russia in Israel" (R.A.), registered under number 580772333. This association was registered on August 6, 2023, prior to the official launch of the CRS at Tel Aviv University in 2024. Its current registered address is indeed in Hadera.
Anatoly Chubais is listed as one of seven founders of the association, alongside Gedalia Vaxer, Evgeny Briskin, Elena Korzhov, Leonid Melamed, Petr Bezukladnikov, and Petr Gaydar. Chubais and Korzhov hold signing authority for the organization. Argumenty Nedeli highlighted that Vaxer is a former deputy chairman of Rosnano, and Melamed is a former head of the state-owned corporation, linking these individuals to past criminal cases surrounding Rosnano and speculating on the source of the center's funding, though no evidence of illicit funds was presented.
Financial data for the association shows revenues of 434,306 shekels and expenses of 416,867 shekels for 2025. The CRS continues its academic work at Tel Aviv University, including joint research seminars with institutions like the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and Stanford University's Hoover Institution.
