Zhanna Volkova
Zhanna Volkova (formerly Zhanna Shamalova) is a Romanian-Ukrainian entrepreneur[1] and former wife of Russian billionaire Kirill Shamalov, ex son-in-law of Vladimir Putin.[2] She lives in exile in London following her separation from Shamalov in 2021.
In February 2023, following her being photographed with Bryan Adams in Seoul, Volkova was added to Russia's most wanted list of fugitives after a warrant was issued for her arrest on defamation charges.[3]
Early life
Volkova was born in Moldova to a Ukrainian father, and a Romanian mother. Her father was an electrical engineer, while her mother was Moldova's first female elected as deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Moldavian SSR.[1] She moved to Moscow at the age of seventeen with a twin sister and attended university there graduating with a degree in journalism.
Career
She worked for restauranteur Novikov, opening and managing new restaurants for the group. Following this, she moved to Monaco and turned investor in health technology companies. Volkova moved to London to found D & S bespoke, a medical start up that provides a more personalised health care approach to families.[1]
Marriage
In 2018, Volkova married Shamalov, after he split with Putin's daughter Katerina Tikhonova.[4][5]
Divorce
In 2021, Volkova fled Russia for London to permanently live with her twin sister. She cited that her husband had through coercion attempted to make her sign divorce documents, after he started dating the daughter of a FSB general.[6] Had she signed the documents under duress she would forego a £45 million prenup agreement and lose custody of her then unborn daughter.[7][8] Following the commencement of divorce proceedings, Shamalov resigned from the board of directors of Russian petrochemicals producer Sibur in December 2021, of which he remained the second largest shareholder. Shamalov appointed the former prime minister of France, François Fillon, in his place.[9][10]
Volkova had appointed Christen Ager-Hanssen and the law firm Harbottle & Lewis to represent her in divorce proceedings against Shamalov in England. She had spent £1.1 million on the case, however the law firm wanted to drop her as a client in mid-2022 after the initial retainer was exhausted, citing their fear of Shamalov's close association to Putin.[11]
References
- ^ a b c "Zhanna Shamalova: What My Journey Taught Me About Growth". Modern Diplomacy. 2025-02-11. Retrieved 2025-03-12.
- ^ Stewart, Will; Boyd, Milo (2022-04-03). "'Vladimir Putin's ex son-in-law is hiding my baby in Moscow', socialite claims". The Mirror. Retrieved 2025-01-08.
- ^ "Kirill Shamalov's ex-wife has been put on the wanted list in a defamation case". The Eastern Herald | News Today, Breaking News, World News & BRICS Updates. 2023-03-27. Retrieved 2025-01-08.
- ^ Bodner, Matthew (27 January 2018). "Daily Telegraph via PressReader.com - Digital Newspaper & Magazine Subscriptions". Retrieved 2025-01-08 – via PressReader.
- ^ "Love, Offshores, and Administrative Resources: How Marrying Putin's Daughter Gave Kirill Shamalov a World of Opportunity". istories.media. Retrieved 2025-01-08.
- ^ "Putin daughter's ex skips off to Dubai with spy chief's designer daughter". torontosun. Archived from the original on 2022-03-29. Retrieved 2025-01-08.
- ^ Россия, Tatler (2021-12-01). "Жанна Шамалова говорит «Татлеру» то, что хотела сказать Ксении Собчак, но та ей не позволила". Tatler Россия (in Russian). Retrieved 2025-01-08.
- ^ Orsoni, Cécile (2022-04-04). "Une jet-setteuse accuse l'ex gendre de Poutine de lui avoir volée sa fille". Vanity Fair (in French). Retrieved 2025-01-08.
- ^ "Zhanna Shamalova Won The Court To Declare The Marriage Invalid With Her Husband, Former President's Son-in-law Kirill Shamalov RusCrime - The Russian Crimes News". 2021-12-27. Retrieved 2025-01-08.
- ^ "Former French PM Fillon joins board of Russia's Sibur". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2024-05-30. Retrieved 2025-01-08.
- ^ "VC Firm Denies Failing Putin's Ex-Son-In-Law's Divorcee - Law360". www.law360.com. Retrieved 2025-01-08.