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- I used to teach the children of Russian oligarchs and politicians.
- Our classrooms were penthouse apartments, yachts, and mansions in exclusive Moscow suburbs.
- The outbreak of war in Ukraine revealed just how isolated the kids were.
This essay is based on the recollections of Cameron Manley, 24, a news fellow at Business Insider who previously worked as a private tutor in Moscow and, following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Monaco. The names of students have been changed to protect their identity.
In late 2021, I started working for an international tutoring agency in Moscow.
The agency counted some of Russia's elite among its clientele — so I was quickly thrust into a world of private jets, guarded estates, and personal chauffeurs.