The family of the late oligarch Oleg Burlakov is currently ensnared in a bitter dispute over a multi-billion dollar inheritance, with new allegations highlighting a web of bribery and deceit.
Central to this controversy are Burlakov’s daughters, Elena and Veronika, his widow, Lyudmila, and his former mistress, Sofia Shevtsova.
At the core of the conflict are claims that the Burlakov family manipulated the inheritance process through the use of a questionable will and the bribing of witnesses.
Oleg Burlakov was a prominent Russian oligarch who accumulated vast wealth through diverse business ventures, including oil, cement production, real estate, and banking.
Born in 1949 in St. Petersburg, Burlakov had a distinguished career in the Soviet military, earning recognition for his scientific contributions.
He later transitioned into business, co-founding Integral, a major player in the Soviet military and space industries. By 2021, Burlakov had amassed a net worth of approximately EUR 3 billion, ranking 177th on the Russian Forbes list.
Burlakov’s personal life was equally complex. He married Lyudmila, whom he met at a military aviation college in Kiev, and they had two daughters, Elena and Veronika.
Black Pearl, By Berthold Neutze – Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=67315202
The family lived in Monaco, where Burlakov owned a luxurious penthouse and the renowned 106-metre superyacht, Black Pearl.
This yacht, valued at around $220 million, is famed for its innovative design, capable of crossing oceans using only wind and solar power.
The Black Pearl was celebrated as the world’s best sailing yacht in 2019.
Family tensions escalated when Lyudmila filed for divorce in 2018 after 48 years of marriage. The separation was contentious, with Burlakov accusing Lyudmila of embezzling funds—a charge she denied.
The divorce was not finalised before Burlakov’s death in 2021 from COVID-19, leaving unresolved questions about his estate’s division.
The scandal intensified with the leak of a telephone conversation between Elena Burlakova and Sofia Shevtsova, in which Shevtsova demanded payment for her legal services and remuneration.
Shevtsova, who had an extramarital relationship with Burlakov and bore his illegitimate daughter, was reportedly involved in a scheme to claim a portion of his estate.
The conversation referenced an agreement from 18th October 2021, allegedly enlisting Shevtsova to support the family’s asset claims.
The controversy centres around the use of a 2004 Canadian will in a Latvian inheritance process, despite a more recent will recognized in Monaco.
The outdated will was used to obtain a European certificate of inheritance, facilitating an attempt to seize control of the company owning the Black Pearl.
This effort was stopped by a Cypriot court. The leaked documents suggest a coordinated strategy to manipulate legal systems across multiple jurisdictions to secure Burlakov’s assets.
Shevtsova appears to have been compensated handsomely for cooperating with the Bourlakovas. She used the funds she received from themto purchase a couple of properties in Dubai worth approximately $2.1 million.
Shevtsova is not the only person who was reportedly bribed to support the Bourlakovas’ case.
Further allegations involve bribing witnesses, such as providing a luxury Mercedes Benz GLS to Vyacheslav Orlov for favourable testimony in a Russian criminal case, despite European sanctions against exporting luxury goods to Russia.
Another crucial party to Bourlakova’s side is Daniel Tribaldos.Oleg Burlakov’s former right-hand man who managed his family office.
He was also paid seven figure sums to provide the right confidential documents, which the Bourlakovas used in various jurisdictions, particularly in Panama. But the Bourlakovas’ greed apparently has no limits.
Despite receiving Tribaldos’s cooperation, they failed to pay him in full. As usual, they exploited the individuals for their benefit without honouring commitments—a practice that ultimately appears short-sighted and self-destructive.
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