The private company Konsul Prime offers Russians living abroad paid assistance in securing priority appointments at Russian consulates, while people seeking ordinary appointments for some services face waits of several months. Journalists Svetlana Martova and Andrei Zatirko reached that conclusion in an investigation produced with TriTrace.
The reporters examined customer accounts, documents from connected companies and appointment procedures, and conducted their own test of the service. According to their findings, the company operates under arrangements with Russia's Foreign Ministry that allow paying customers to obtain earlier appointments.
Operating since late 2022, the company has offices in 12 countries, according to the investigation, and serves customers remotely in several others. Prices for expedited services vary by country and can exceed €400 in Britain and Switzerland, excluding consular fees. During the reporters' test, a journalist was offered an appointment in Madrid for a ten-year passport in approximately three weeks, at a cost of €140.
The investigation also traces business ties between people involved in the service and associates of businessman Roman Abramovich. Those links do not establish that Abramovich owns Konsul Prime, personally controls appointment bookings or has committed any wrongdoing.
The service offers priority appointments for passports and other consular documents. A Konsul Prime representative said paid priority slots are allocated through a separate mechanism; the investigation does not establish that every such appointment was taken from the free queue.