As Vladimir Putin's trusted confidant, former Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin once lived among Russia's upper echelons. However, following the militia group's failed coup earlier this summer, the Kremlin branded him public enemy number one. Now, in the wake of reports of Prigozhin's mysterious death in an unexplained plane crash, questions are swirling as to who Putin's late foe really was. Click or scroll on to find out more about Prigozhin, his St Petersburg mansion and his lavish lifestyle before he got on Putin's bad side...
On the evening of 23 August, a private jet crashed in a rural spot in Russia's Tver region. According to Russia's Federal Agency for Air Transport, all 10 people onboard perished. Among the victims was Yevgeny Prigozhin, the former mercenary chief who had come to be known as Putin's foe. Prigozhin's right-hand man, Dmitry Utkin, was also reportedly killed. Pictured here are rescue personnel at work at the crash site. The plane was reportedly en route from Moscow to St Petersburg, and while the cause of the crash is not yet clear, some Russian villagers reported seeing explosions as the jet descended. President Biden suggested that the Kremlin could be behind the crash: "There’s not much that happens in Russia that Putin’s not behind," he told reporters on the day of the tragedy. But who exactly was Prigozhin, and how did he end up crossing the Kremlin?
Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was often referred to as 'Putin's chef', gained notoriety as a close ally of the Russian president. Somewhat surprisingly, Prigozhin's rise to prominence began in the world of catering, providing hospitality services to the Kremlin. This led to other, more nefarious ventures including becoming the figurehead of the now-dissolved Wagner Group. The organization started as a private military contractor known for its involvement in conflicts abroad, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The group's presence in the ongoing war made global news headlines in June 2023, when Prigozhin accused the Russian government of attacking his soldiers.
The mercenary company embarked on a chaotic uprising against the Kremlin and even attempted a march on Moscow, but their efforts were ultimately thwarted, placing Prigozhin firmly in Putin's crosshairs. However, in a surprise move, the Kremlin dropped criminal charges against the Wagner boss. In return, Prigozhin was supposed to relocate to neighboring Belarus, though it's not clear where he was living prior to his death. Following the failed coup, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) reportedly raided Prigozhin's lavish St Petersburg mansion on 24 June 2023 and the extraordinary footage was published by pro-Kremlin media outlet Izvestia. It's clear from the estate's sprawling, manicured grounds that Prigozhin was living the high life before he landed in Putin's bad books.
The home's interior is equally as grand as its exterior, judging from this image of one of the palatial vestibules. Marble chequerboard floors, a sweeping staircase and silk brocade wallpaper paint a lavish picture of Prigozhin's former life here. The scale of grandeur is certainly a contrast to the late militia leader's reportedly modest upbringing in one of St Petersburg's tougher neighborhoods – a childhood that draws parallels with Putin's humble beginnings.
While Prigozhin chose to settle in the city where he grew up, his situation was certainly vastly changed. According to CNN, during his early life, Prigozhin served nine years behind bars for fraud and robbery, before making waves with his catering business and establishing the for-hire militia company that would be his legacy. From the ornate silk couches to the Persian rug, gilded glass cabinets and priceless antiques, Prigozhin's former home is a lavish display of the ill-gotten spoils of his work.
The Wagner Group's services evidently came at quite some cost to their war-hungry clients. In fact, some sources measured Prigozhin's net worth at a staggering $1 billion just before his death. It's no wonder his former mansion is filled with extravagant fixtures and amenities. Here, in the same expansive living space, is a vast flat-screen TV mounted on the wall.
The kitchen, while not quite as elaborate as the main reception room, features the same decadent touches. Ornately carved columns frame the kitchen island, while an extravagant chandelier hangs over a casual dining table. It's certainly a fitting space for the man who was once known as 'Putin's chef'.
As well as the usual gilded trappings that tend to typify oligarch palaces, Prigozhin's mansion holds more than a few unusual and bizarre surprises. In what looks like an opulent entryway, resplendent with polished marble floors, brocade wallpaper and wood paneling, what appears to be an alligator sits on the console table.
Moving upstairs, the intricate wrought-iron detailing across the staircase's balustrades is brought into focus. Another surprising discovery is the striking ebony grand piano tucked away in this alcove, which could hint at the Prigozhin family's musical inclinations perhaps. The late Wagner leader is thought to have lived in the mansion with his wife, Lyudmila, while the couple's three grown children may have been regular visitors.
Ascending to the mansion's upper level, the remarkable classical details of the building's architecture become clear. A vaulted glass roof allows daylight to pour down into the open entertaining spaces below, while botanical friezes encircle the aperture. Prigozhin was evidently a fan of grand, Grecian-inspired architecture.
The sprawling estate has no shortage of accommodation. This image from the raid reveals an especially regal bedroom. Enveloped in dark wooden panels, the space features cream silk curtains, a gold-inlaid mirror and a large bed complete with a silk-upholstered headboard. Whoever slumbered here clearly had expensive tastes.
However, the bedroom holds some less conventional items too. The FSB's photos reveal a cache of assault weapons and ammunition laid out on a tarp on the floor, as though the late Wagner boss was preparing for a mercenary job, or perhaps taking stock of his inventory. If you look closely, there's also a number of mysterious boxes and bags...
Inside, the FSB allegedly discovered a number of solid gold bars, as well as thick wads of US dollars and passports. Yet something even more incredulous was lurking nearby. One of the closets concealed Prigozhin's extensive wig and beard collection, thought to have been used as disguises during his militia work.
Elsewhere in the house, this stately wood-paneled office was likely the headquarters of Prigozhin's mercenary company. An assortment of what appear to be binders are stacked on the gilded mahogany desk, while a curious number of bin bags conceal mystery items, perhaps cataloged by Russian authorities during the raid. It's not all business though – a stately pool table stands adjacent to the desk.
Souvenirs from Prigozhin's nefarious career are scattered across the office. Most notably, they include an oversized novelty sledgehammer in the home's study that reads "For use in important negotiations" in Russian. Distressing framed photographs were also reportedly uncovered during the search, which are said to depict the Wagner leader's deceased enemies.
In another corner of the office, Prigozhin's prized uniform adorned with medals is proudly on display. According to Anton Gerashchenko, advisor to Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs, a Hero of Russia award was also discovered in the room. The accolade was reportedly presented to Prigozhin on 20 June 2022.
In stark contrast to the mementos of war, the mansion has what looks to be its own prayer room. The space features walls of iconography and gilded fixtures typical of the Russian Orthodox Church. On the ceiling, an elaborate mural depicts blue and yellow sunbeams – now a banned color combination in Russia since the start of the war in Ukraine.
The property offers a large indoor swimming pool too, complete with a Jacuzzi and what looks to be a children's slide. A massage table is poised on the side of the pool, suggesting that the Wagner leader or perhaps members of his family subscribed to Putin's rumored fondness for pampering.
According to the video footage, the home also has a sophisticated medical room kitted out with state-of-the-art equipment. Investigative website Proekt alleged that Prigozhin had been undergoing treatment for stomach cancer for a while, but was thought to have been in remission prior to his death. What will become of the mansion now is unknown, and only time will tell if the truth behind the militia leader's untimely death will ever come to light...
Read on to tour more extravagant homes of Russian oligarchs
The residences of Russia's most extravagant billionaires have been cast into the spotlight in the past year as members of the country’s wealthy elite are sanctioned in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Forbes reports that at least 23 sanctioned oligarchs own around 128 properties adding up to around $5.2 billion – and some of these lavish oligarchs' homes have even been raided by authorities searching for evidence of criminal activity. Click or scroll on to take a glimpse inside these controversial Russian-owned residences...
Vladimir Putin's former confidant, the late Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky was once at the heart of the Russian Federation before he fell into the Kremlin's bad books. During the height of his wealth, the one-time billionaire financier splurged his money on a number of luxury properties across Europe until his untimely death in 2013, which some still regard as suspicious. One such property is a magnificent château in the heart of the French Riviera that's proved somewhat problematic to shift since Berezovsky's passing.
Berezovsky reportedly purchased this opulent estate on Cap d'Antibes in the 1990s. Known as Château de la Garoupe, the 14,000-square-foot mansion is surrounded by more than 24 acres of manicured grounds and dense woodlands. The property offers a tennis court, swimming pool, Jacuzzi, billiard room and six guest suites. Following Berezovsky's death, the French state confiscated the house in 2015 amid a money-laundering suit. The oligarch's wealth had floundered in later years when he opposed Putin's 2000 election, and at the time of his death, he may have owed a staggering $399 million in debts, according to court records. His creditors, including fellow oligarch Roman Abramovich, appealed to the courts to lift the confiscation order on the mansion in order to recoup their money, but their bid was unsuccessful.
However, after years of legal wrangling, the château is now being sold by Agrasc, the French agency for seized and confiscated goods. The property is due to go to auction in September 2023, with final offers due by 6 October. According to Bloomberg, the mansion was valued at some €93.6 million back in 2011 during court proceedings, which would be around €112 million ($121m) in today's money, so it's expected to fetch a hefty sum. Paris-based notary Cheauvreux and realtor Bluebird Immobilier are handling the auction, however, sale documents indicate that both parties have signed a nondisclosure agreement, so details of the sale are not being widely promoted.
France wasn't the only place Berezovsky called home in Europe. Back in 2001, he reportedly snapped up this elaborate mansion in verdant Edgham in Surrey. The purchase came a year after Berezovsky fled to the UK after his continued criticism of the Kremlin endangered his life in Russia. He's said to have put down $26 million for the home on the Wentworth Park Estate. Not a shabby spot to be exiled!
This image of Berezovsky was taken in the study of the Surrey mansion back in August 2002. However, the oligarch also spent time at his ex-wife's similarly lavish property in Ascot, Berkshire – and it was here that he met his untimely end. In March 2023, Berezovsky was found dead in the mansion's bathroom, where he was initially thought to have taken his own life. While British police found no evidence of foul play, a coroner's inquest a year later recorded an open verdict, concluding that the events leading up to his death were unclear. At the time, Berezovsky's daughter alleged that the Russian government may have been responsible.
Pictured here with President Vladimir Putin, Igor Shuvalov used to be the deputy prime minister of Russia. He is now chairman of Russian bank VEB. The European Union, the UK and the US are among those who sanctioned Shuvalov in March 2022 because of his ties to the Russian president, and he has links to several lavish properties in the UK.
According to The Guardian, Shuvalov was named as the owner of two luxury apartments in London by anti-corruption campaigner Alexei Navalny. The building is a lavish, late-Victorian apartment block between the River Thames and government HQs, including the Ministry of Defence. During the First World War, the building housed the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service.
Pictured here in Moscow, Russia, the former deputy prime minister’s apartments have reportedly been converted into one luxury 5,381-square-foot apartment. Shuvalov allegedly claims to rent the properties rather than own them himself, and they were purchased in 2014 for around $15 million, as reported by The Guardian.
Mikhail Fridman has made his billions through controlling the likes of investment company LetterOne and founding the largest non-state-controlled bank in Russia, Alfa Group. Along with other wealthy Russians in the West, Fridman has been sanctioned in relation to the invasion of Ukraine. According to The I newspaper, the multi-billionaire made a plea to the UK Government for access to his funds out of fear that he would no longer be able to "live normally in London". But his sprawling London estate is much more extravagant than your average house…
This Victorian-era, Gothic estate, known as Althone House, is nestled in a monied neighborhood in North London. Fridman purchased the mansion for around $82 million in 2016 and transformed the dilapidated house into an oligarch’s dream home, with an underground swimming pool, yoga room and observatory. Included in its five acres of land are a fruit terrace and lily ponds.
According to Forbes, Fridman also owns a second home in London – a three-story stuccoed home also situated in North London that he bought in 2002. In December 2022, the National Crime Agency carried out a raid on Althone House and detained the oligarch on suspicion of multiple offenses including money laundering and conspiracy to defraud the UK Home Office. However, the businessman was released and the agency has since scaled back the inquiry into Fridman.
Pictured here walking behind President Putin, Suleiman Kerimov was sanctioned by the West in March 2022 and received further sanctions from the US in November of the same year, but it wasn’t the gold magnate’s first run-in with the authorities. According to Forbes, he owns four villas set in the luscious Cap d’Antibes on the French Riviera, but the sale of one of the properties drummed up a lot of unwelcome attention in 2020 when it became the center of a tax scandal. He was eventually acquitted and his legal counsel released a statement, reported through the Associated Press, that: "he has never been convicted by any court whatsoever, in France or abroad."
In 2008, the French property in question was declared to have been sold for $49 million – a hefty $134 million short of the actual purchase price. 12 years later the Swiss company used to buy the property was slapped with a $1.5 million fine.
The abode had been in the spotlight before, but for less controversial reasons, when it was used for filming the 1988 Michael Caine/Steve Martin film Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. The Mediterranean mansion comes with a whole host of Hollywood-worthy features, including a tennis court, an oval outdoor pool and a spacious greenhouse.
Aluminum tycoon Oleg Deripaska was first sanctioned in the US in 2018, and most recently has been sanctioned by the UK, USA, EU, Canada and Australia in relation to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. In 2008, Deripaska was the richest person in Russia, and one outlet for all that cash is his extensive global property portfolio, which, according to Forbes, stretches from London to New York, Saint-Tropez to Italy. However, one of Deripaska’s associated properties received more attention than the rest in March 2022, as his mansion in Belgravia, London, was occupied by activists protesting against the situation in Ukraine, according to The Guardian.
A spokesperson for the billionaire then told Sky News the property was owned by other members of the Deripaska family rather than the business tycoon himself. The apartment sits in one of London’s most stylish postcodes and comes with seven bedrooms, a movie theater and a Turkish steam bath. The property was on the market for $31.6 million in 2002, which the Mirror reported made it the most expensive row house in the world at the time.
Across the Atlantic, Oleg Deripaska also owns several properties. In 2008 he purchased this five-story house in New York’s Upper East Side for $42.5 million, which was covered extensively by Forbes.
Another one of Deripaska’s American homes is this adorable townhouse in Manhattan, which was raided in October 2021. Curbed reports that the home is a former speakeasy called Pirate’s Den and it is thought to be haunted. The spooky three-story property was purchased for a reported $4.5 million in 2006, and it has clearly been a worthy investment, as it is now worth an estimated $11.4 million, according to Trulia.
Now the president of Monaco Football Club, Dmitry Rybolovlev’s $6.4 billion fortune stems from his work with potassium fertilizers, and he’s been in the headlines in the last decade for suing Sotheby’s auction house and a long-winded – and expensive – divorce battle. While he managed to dodge the bulk of overseas sanctions, he was sanctioned by Ukraine in October 2022.
This beautiful Regency-style estate in Palm Beach, Florida, has received more attention than any of Rybolovlev’s other properties. Purchased from Donald Trump in 2008, the abode set the Russian billionaire back an astonishing $95 million. At the time of the sale, Trump had been secretive about the buyer being Russian, but it was later revealed by the New York Times that the buyer was County Road Property, a company owned by Rybolovev. The mansion was said to have an extreme mold problem. The billionaire then disavowed any interest in the estate and it was later demolished and divided into three separate lots.
Other properties owned by Rybolovlev include a sprawling penthouse in Monaco, plus lavish homes across the United States and, according to France 24, a suave chalet in this stunning Swiss resort called Gstaad.
Russian President Vladimir Putin allegedly had his own Italianate palace complex built for him on the Black Sea coast. The covert property hit headlines when Russian Wikileaks published photos of the home in January 2011, followed by more images brought to light by navalny.com in 2021, the organization run by jailed anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny. Putin could certainly afford such a sumptuous place, if the rumors surrounding his actual net worth are to be believed. Despite pulling in a relatively modest annual income of $113,000, Russia's president is reputed to be worth up to $200 billion which would make him the second-richest person on the planet. And there's even a chance he could be the wealthiest, according to Fortune magazine.
Yet billionaire oligarch Alexander Ponomarenko has claimed to be the long-time owner of the Black Sea property, and another billionaire oligarch, Arkady Rotenberg, is said to currently hold the deeds. Both men are close to Putin, especially Rotenberg, who is a childhood friend of the president and was once his judo sparring partner. Rotenberg has also been sanctioned by the UK, US, and Switzerland, among other countries, and also has, according to Exberliner, an "empty villa" in Schmargendorf, southwest Berlin, which was discovered by Der Spiegel magazine.
Designed by Italy's Lanfranco Cirillo, the go-to architect for Russia's elite, the Italianate-style palace spans a whopping 190,000 square feet, making it more than three times bigger than the White House. While it's said to have just 11 bedrooms, the property has scores of rooms besides. Let's take a look inside.
As you can see from this image of the main hall, no expense was spared on the property. Beautiful hand-painted frescos adorn the walls and ceilings, which are clad in marble with copious gold detailing. Spectacular chandeliers grace almost every room in the palace.
The bedrooms are just as opulent, with four-poster beds and plenty of antique French and Italian furniture. Gilded ceilings and silk-paneled walls complete the ostentatious scheme. There's no doubt about it, this is luxe living at its finest. The palace was reportedly being refurbished between 2005 and 2020 as it had suffered from a severe mold problem, according to a report by the BBC. In 2023, a Business Insider investigation also alleged that the Russian leader has an underground bunker built into the rock face beneath the mansion. However, while Putin faces sanctions, the New York Times described his assets as an "enigma".
Lesser-known billionaire Andrey Goncharenko is rarely seen in public, but his stunning properties certainly draw attention. A stone's throw away from the US ambassador's residence in London's leafy Regent's Park, this sprawling London lodge was snapped up in 2012 by the Gazprom billionaire, who according to the Mirror, paid a hefty $152 million for the property. At the time, it was the UK's most expensive house – and then some. Designed by renowned architect John Nash, the lodge was built in the 1820s and extended in the early 1900s by another esteemed architect, Edwin Lutyens.
Shown here in an 1826 illustration, Goncharenko bought the property from Conservative peer Lord Bagri, who was responsible for the sumptuous restoration of the lodge's gilded plasterwork. Nevertheless, Goncharenko was clearly underwhelmed by the restoration and has since ripped out many of the features. The Russian tycoon has also replaced the subterranean swimming pool, which converts into a ballroom at the flick of a switch. The new basement pool area includes a sauna, steam room and movie theater. Wonderfully luxurious, the lodge's bathrooms are dripping in opulence and wow with wall-to-ceiling marble and glitzy gold-plated faucets. Even the towel radiator is made from gold! The mansion reportedly sold for $143 million in July 2023, $8.9 million less than the oligarch is said to have originally paid.
Goncharenko’s real estate portfolio spans the most fashionable parts of London, including an area dubbed 'Red Square' due to the number of Russian billionaire residents, according to Business Insider, Goncharenko snapped up this Belgravia home for $19 million in 2014. The gorgeous Grade II-listed property covers 15,000 square feet and is laid out across five stories. The billionaire didn’t spend that much time in the property evidently, and The Guardian reported that squatters occupied the empty house in 2017 and briefly used it as a homeless shelter before they were evicted.
Banking billionaire Alexei Kuzmichev was another partner in the lucrative creation of Alfa Group and LetterOne, and a fraction of his multibillion-dollar fortune has gone on high-end property. However, in August 2023, the US sanctioned the oligarch for allegedly enabling the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the US government has frozen his assets.
Kuzmichev has a significant real estate stake in the US. He bagged two huge quadruplex townhouses in a block in New York's Upper East Side back in early 2016. While he has sold off one townhouse, this brownstone property designed by the illustrious architect Grosvenor Atterbury in 1901 rocks a huge extension consisting of four additional stories.
Two of the new floors feature the sort of roof terraces most Manhattanites could only dream of chilling out on, with fabulous views, a stylish seating area and a hot tub.
Moving inside, the tasteful décor tones down the bling with a clean and fresh contemporary palette. The main living room, for example, isn't understated, but it's a whole lot more minimalist than traditional Russian tastes. Despite this, the room doesn't go without a few flourishes of gold – naturally.
Likewise, the dining room has gold-hued chairs and other glitzy details offset by stark white walls and a neutral rug. On-trend with many Russian oligarchs with property in the Big Apple, the New York Post reported that Kuzmichev listed the property for $41 million in March 2022 following US sanctions.
Roman Abramovich might be the most notable Russian oligarch with property in London, and his Kensington mansion is an impressive sight. The former Chelsea Football Club owner bought the house in 2009 for $114 million, and it is just one of his UK-based assets which, according to gov.uk, have been frozen. However, in July 2023, Abramovich challenged sanctions imposed by the EU at the General Court of the Court of Justice of the European Union.
The 15-bedroom property is just a stone’s throw away from the royal residence of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. In fact, the property sits on land owned by the Crown Estate, which means that the Royal Family receives thousands of pounds each year for its lease.
Kensington is home to ‘Billionaires' Row’, and it is also home to the Russian Embassy (pictured). According to the Daily Mail, Roman Abramovich is also believed to own an apartment in Chelsea that overlooks the River Thames, which he purchased for an alleged $28 million in 2018. It’s unknown how much longer Abramovich will own his swanky inner-city properties. UK Labour MP Chris Bryant said the government is moving too slowly to keep up with oligarchs, who may try to sell off assets as quickly as possible, and as the Daily Mail reported Abramovich has already started selling off his UK portfolio.
In April 2022, Business Insider reported that French authorities seized Roman Abramovich's villa in the south of France as part of a crackdown on Russian oligarchs. His lavish villa is situated on the Cap d'Antibes, which is one of the most prestigious parts of the French Riviera and is said to be worth around €108 million ($121m. The sprawling estate once belonged to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Police in Jersey also carried out raids of his properties on the British Crown Dependency island in April 2022, searches that were later ruled to be illegal. According to The Sun, Abramovich is now residing in Istanbul and renting a plush mansion for the eye-watering sum of $50,600 a month.
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