Russian Oligarch's Fortune Fuels Family Feud in Monaco Court Over Contested Will

The disputed inheritance of the late Russian oligarch Oleg Burlakov, valued at three billion euros, continues to captivate Monaco as a new legal examination is set to occur within the principality. The contested assets include a high-value Monaco penthouse and the famed Black Pearl yacht, alongside a handwritten will discovered under questionable circumstances at the residence of Burlakov’s Latvian mistress. This will has pitted Burlakov's widow, Lioudmila, and their daughters against Burlakov’s sister Vera Kazakova and her husband, Nikolai, in a bitter dispute over its legitimacy.

Lioudmila, who was in the process of divorcing Burlakov before his death in June 2021 from COVID-19, contests the will, suggesting its suspicious discovery and favorable terms towards the Kazakovs undermine its validity. The will allocates a modest 10 million euros to the mistress, with the remainder of Burlakov’s fortune directed towards a foundation controlled by the Kazakovs, a point of contention for the widow and her daughters.

The inheritance battle has expanded beyond Monaco, involving legal proceedings in multiple international jurisdictions including Moscow, Miami, London, and Panama. However, the focus now returns to Monaco’s judicial system, which has ordered a comprehensive reevaluation of the will’s authenticity. As both parties have fortified their positions with expert testimonies from graphologists and linguists, the resolution to this high-stakes family feud remains pending, leaving the true heir to Burlakov’s vast estate undetermined.