Russian monarchist’s Pacific island dream dies as Kiribati rejects proposal

Russian businessman Anton Bakov had a vision to revive the Russian monarchy in the Pacific island nation of Kiribati. Now his hopes have been dashed, as Kiribati’s government has rejected his unusual proposal.

Kiribati had been considering a proposal from Mr Bakov to create an “alternative Russia” on three of the country’s uninhabited atolls, restoring the Romanov rule overthrown in 1917 by the Bolshevik Revolution. The businessman had promised to invest $350 million in the project, building a number of resorts that could invigorate Kiribati’s tourist industry.

The government rebuffed his demand that the deal include sovereign rights over three of Kiribati’s uninhabited islands — Malden, Starbuck and Millennium Islands.

“For Kiribati to stand up and base their decision on a matter of principle regardless of their own needs and economic challenges and status — I think that is something that ought to be recognised and respected,” Pacific development specialist Dr Sitiveni Halapua told Radio New Zealand.

This is not the first time Mr Bakov has sought to establish a Russian monarchist haven. Back in 2011, he set up the “Imperial Throne” — an unrecognised micro-nation lacking any territory, ruled by a leader known as Emperor Nicholas III.

This time around, the monarchist seeks to enlist the help of 64-year-old German noble Prince Karl Emich of Leiningen, who is allegedly a direct descendent of Alexander II, to rule the “alternative Russia”.

Source: BBC News