Boris Berezovsky and Galina Besharova divorced after 20 years, 7 months of marriage. The settlement was reportedly an estimated $160M. Details inside.
Figures are reported estimates. Last updated Oct 2026.
Russian oligarch's London divorce, one of the biggest in UK history at the time.
Boris Berezovsky was a Russian mathematician turned businessman who became one of the powerful oligarchs of the 1990s, with interests in cars, oil, media and politics. Galina Besharova was his second wife, and the couple had two children. Berezovsky was a close ally of the Yeltsin administration before falling out with Vladimir Putin and fleeing to Britain in 2000, where he was granted political asylum. Galina lived in London for many years, in a life that was far from the world of Russian business and politics.
Berezovsky's fortune came from the sale of cars through his company LogoVAZ, then from the 1995 privatization of the oil company Sibneft, which he acquired with Roman Abramovich, and from a stake in the television channel ORT. At his peak he was one of the richest men in Russia. After he fell out with the Kremlin, he lost control of many of his assets, but kept enough to fund a lavish life in Britain and a series of political projects.
The couple were married for about two decades. By the 2000s the marriage had broken down, and they lived apart. Galina took legal action in London, and in July 2011 the High Court ruled on the financial settlement. Berezovsky died in March 2013 at his home in Berkshire, in circumstances that were the subject of an inquest, which recorded an open verdict.
The High Court in London awarded Galina about £100 million, or roughly $160 million, then reported as the biggest divorce settlement in British legal history. The sum was paid in cash and assets. Berezovsky said that he would struggle to pay it, since much of his wealth was tied up in assets that were hard to sell, and he later faced severe financial problems.
English courts can order a generous division of the wealth of a long marriage, and London had become a popular venue for wealthy foreign spouses to bring divorce claims. Galina's lawyers argued that she had lived in England and was entitled to a fair share of the money earned during the marriage. The court's willingness to hear the case in London, rather than in Russia, was a major factor.
The payment, together with large legal losses in the following year, drained Berezovsky's finances. In 2012 he lost a multi-billion-dollar court case against Roman Abramovich over the sale of Sibneft, and he was left deeply in debt. The divorce was one of several blows that reduced a once-great fortune.
The Berezovsky divorce was part of a wave of Russian-related cases in London, including the Abramovich and Rybolovlev divorces. It is smaller than the Rybolovlev settlement, but it helped to make the English courts a favorite destination for wealthy spouses seeking larger awards.
Berezovsky trained as a mathematician and published scientific papers. He survived an assassination attempt in Moscow in 1994 in which his driver was killed. The $160 million figure comes from a £100 million award and varies with the exchange rate.
Galina Besharova's reported settlement was about $160 million.
They married in 1991 and divorced in 2011, a marriage of roughly 20 years.
No prenuptial agreement was reported.
Yes, the family is reported to include 2 children.
Included in settlement.
Reported assets include: Property in Britain and France, shares in Russian companies.
English courts can order a generous division of the wealth of a long marriage, and London had become a popular venue for wealthy foreign spouses to bring divorce claims. Galina's lawyers argued that she had lived in England and was entitled to a fair share of the money earned during the marriage.
* Settlement terms were not publicly disclosed. This figure is an estimate.