In March 2020, The Art Newspaper, a well-known magazine among creative people, named Daria Zhukova (whose personal life and biography is of particular interest to many now), a designer, fashion designer and not the least person for modern Russian art, in sixth place in the “100” rating the main people in Russian art." She shared the laurels with her now ex-husband, the notorious Roman Abramovich.
And he called it for a reason. Being an enterprising, bright and talented person, Daria managed to do many amazing, courageous and especially necessary things for Russia at that time in her life. In just five years, she drew the attention of the foreign elite press to Russian art and design, and only from the good side, she was the founder and sponsor of many modern art media projects, and the fruits of her creativity and productive work are now enjoyed both in Daria’s homeland, and abroad.
Beginning of the biography
A native of Moscow, Daria Zhukova came into this world in 1981, on June 8th. Her parents divorced when she was still a child, but both took an active part in her upbringing and development. Daria's mother is a microbiologist by profession. After separating from her husband, she moved to the States, where her daughter studied and mastered English.
At the age of 16, the girl moved to London, where her father lived, a businessman who started by creating an oil transportation company. Alexander Radkin, who after marriage took his wife’s surname, is currently the owner of a large fortune, co-owner of the Interfinance group. In the photo just above you can see Daria in the company of her father.
The girl went to college, receiving the specialty of a homeopathic doctor. But her future career has nothing to do with this profession.
Personal life
In 2004, at the opening of Stephen Webster's jewelry store in England, Daria Zhukova appeared in the company of tennis player and Davis Cup winner Marat Safin. The press representatives present at the event were quick to announce them as a couple.
Daria Zhukova and Marat Safin
In 2005, Zhukova met oligarch Roman Abramovich. According to one information, this happened in February, after the Chelsea - Barcelona match in London. According to another version, their acquaintance happened during a party organized by Daria's father. Subsequently, the couple increasingly began to be spotted together at social events.
Two years later, Roman Abramovich divorced his wife. Soon, anonymous sources, citing Zhukova and Abramovich’s entourage, reported that they had already had a wedding and were officially married.
Daria Zhukova and Roman Abramovich
The stormy love affair of Zhukova and Abramovich was constantly under the gun of the cameras of representatives of glossy magazines. Daria and Roman did not talk about their relationship, so it was difficult for journalists to find out additional information about the couple’s relationship. The lovers led a measured lifestyle, spending most of their time not on land, but at sea - on a luxurious yacht of a Russian billionaire called Eclipse.
In 2009, rumors appeared in the press about the breakup of their relationship, but after a while Daria and Roman were seen together at the opening of the exhibition. And already in December of the same year, the couple had a boy, who was named Aaron Alexander Abramovich. Four years later, the lovers had a daughter, Leia.
Roman Abramovich's yacht “Eclipse”
In 2020, the British press repeatedly reported that Roman Abramovich constantly gives his beloved expensive gifts. Paparazzi often saw the couple on vacation in Portofino and St. Barths. But at the same time, Zhukova did not sit idle, and her husband helped her in all her endeavors.
However, Russian media soon reported that Abramovich allegedly left his lover for ballerina Diana Vishneva. And Western tabloids only added fuel to the fire by reporting about Zhukova’s affair with the popular Hollywood film actor Leonardo DiCaprio. The rumors were still not confirmed, but a serious discussion about this took place between users on Instagram.
Daria Zhukova with children
In August 2020, information about divorce
the spouses themselves confirmed. They reported that they remained friends, but did not voice the reasons for the separation.
Three weeks after this statement, rumors spread on the Internet that Daria was dating
with Greek billionaire Stavros Niarchos. The man is the heir to a huge fortune. His father is a shipping magnate and a famous art collector. Stavros is also interested in art, perhaps it was even on this basis that he and Daria got along.
Daria Zhukova and Stavros Niarchos
However, he is better known for his romances with show business stars. The young man dated actress Mary-Kate Olsen, but left her because of model Paris Hilton. The man even wanted to marry a glamorous blonde, but his parents were categorically against it. Therefore, his choice fell on an equally scandalous person - actress Lindsay Lohan. But the man didn’t work out with her either. In 2011, he met model Jessica Hart, with whom they even began to live in a civil marriage. But in January 2020 it became known that the couple had separated. Perhaps the reason for the rift with Jessica was Daria.
Zhukova's fans did not approve of her choice; they believe that Stavros is too frivolous for her.
Career in the fashion industry
Teaming up with Christina Tang, an old friend, Daria Zhukova becomes the founder of a new clothing brand, Kova&T. Girls rely on the absence of pretentious logos, simple cut and, most importantly, natural fabrics. They found their buyer by opening more than 80 fashion boutiques around the world.
In 2007, a similar store opened its doors in Moscow, gathering the entire Russian elite for the opening. By that time, Daria was already familiar with Abramovich, but interest in her in the social circle appeared a little earlier due to an affair with star tennis player and eligible bachelor Marat Safin. The stormy relationship ended in a break, but the name Zhukova became known to Russians.
Together with O. Deripaska’s wife, Daria Aleksandrovna Zhukova founded the website Spletnik, where interesting stories from the lives of celebrities began to be published. This experience came in handy when the British fashion magazine POP invited the designer to head its editorial team. Daria worked in this position for a whole year.
Dasha Zhukova won Safin's heart
The name of this girl is associated with the romantic story of the fate of Marat Safin. The young people met for some time and even talked about an upcoming wedding, but the couple was not destined to stay together. Be that as it may, Dasha gave Marat a lot, and most importantly, she gave a feeling of love that the tennis player had not experienced before. He was one of the guys who doesn't bother with girls and doesn't stay in long-term relationships. With Dasha it was different: he himself initiated meetings, introduced her as his girlfriend and even dedicated her victories in tournaments. Zhukova was grateful to him, but she could not give her heart to the famous athlete. They dated for a long time, sometimes breaking up completely, sometimes getting closer again. This continued until Zhukova met Abramovich.
Project "Garage"
Since the beginning of the 20th century. Architect Shukhov built the “Bakhmetyevsky Garage” in Moscow for British buses. With the financial support of R. Abramovich, Daria Zhukova opened in this building in 2008. Its purpose is to organize exhibitions of contemporary art. Among the main tasks of the center is supporting domestic artists.
The first Garage exhibit was a figurine by Alberto Giacometti worth $14 million, which R. Abramovich purchased in Switzerland and donated to the founders.
Visitors were delighted by the architecture of the center, which took on the appearance of a glowing hangar, as if floating among other pavilions. They are a legacy of the agricultural exhibition opened in 1923. Having never been interested in art before, Daria became one of the organizers of a cultural center that united the best artists around her.
Career and business
Together with her friend Christina Tang, Daria becomes the founder of the fashion clothing brand “Kova&T”. A distinctive feature of clothes from Daria Zhukova is the focus on a simple cut, the absence of noticeable logos and the use of natural fabrics. Today, Kova&T brand dresses are presented in more than 80 stores around the world.
Daria Zhukova in the Kova&T store
A striking event in the social life of Moscow was the opening of a company store in 2007. The event was attended by producer Alexander Weinstein, deputy Sergei Kapkov, as well as many other famous personalities of the capital. In the same year, Daria Zhukova, together with Polina, Oleg Deripaska’s wife, participated in the creation of the Spletnik website, dedicated to the lives of celebrities. In 2009, Daria Zhukova was invited to head the editorial office of the British magazine POP, dedicated to fashion.
Despite the lack of editorial experience at that time, the choice fell on the girl because of her popularity in social circles. Daria Zhukova's predecessor as editor-in-chief had recently left for another magazine, taking most of the staff with her. After a year of work, Daria Zhukova leaves POP magazine, which she subsequently speaks of very warmly.
Garage Center for Contemporary Art
In 2008, the girl opened a charitable foundation for the development and support of art, the Iris Foundation. In the same year, under the auspices of this foundation, in the building of the Bakhmetyevsky Garage, an architectural monument of the Soviet avant-garde, built in the first half of the 20th century according to the design of the architect Shukhov and intended to store British buses, Daria Zhukova opened the Garage center for contemporary art. The main task of the center is to support Russian artists, exhibit works of contemporary art, and organize foreign exhibitions of Russian artists in order to popularize Russian culture.
The project was sponsored by entrepreneur Roman Abramovich, who, among other things, purchased a figurine by Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti at the Art Basel fair. Its cost is estimated at $14 million. Abramovich presented the figurine as the first exhibit.
Daria Zhukova presents
What surprised visitors most was the architecture of the center. In fact, the new building was wrapped in unique layers of translucent polycarbonate, giving the appearance of a gleaming hangar. The structure, in a sense, floats like a silvery ghost among the cluster of attractions and numerous abandoned exhibition pavilions left over from the 1923 All-Russian Agricultural Exhibition.
Everyone had the opportunity to present their work at the exhibition more than once. Daria herself is confident that such a center will be able to gradually unite the best representatives of art who offer new ideas to society.
Exhibition in
Also, as part of the Iris Foundation, in 2011 Zhukova began publishing the contemporary art magazine Garage in the UK, and in 2013 its Russian-language version was launched. In 2020, the American company Vice Media bought a controlling stake in the publication, but Zhukova, as before, heads it.
In 2010, Roman Abramovich’s company won the competition for the reconstruction of a cultural center in St. Petersburg. The Daria Zhukova Foundation was involved in developing the concept. The project budget was estimated at 12.1 billion rubles. Since August 2020, the park has become accessible to citizens and tourists. But reconstruction continues, the work is planned to be completed by 2025.
Billionaire Spouse
At the time of their acquaintance, which took place in 2005 at a stadium in Barcelona, Abramovich and Zhukova were not free. The businessman and his wife Irina raised five children, and Daria developed a relationship with Safin.
For two years they carefully hid the affair, although the girl stopped all communication with the athlete. After Abramovich's official divorce in 2007, both began to appear together at social events.
It is known that the end of his 15-year marriage with Irina cost the billionaire $300 million and a house in the UK. He did this in order to marry his beloved in 2008. A year later, little Aaron was born, and in 2014, a daughter named Leah.
It is curious that at the same time, rumors about the couple’s separation appeared in the press with enviable regularity. Daria Zhukova's husband was accused of infidelity, including communication with Diana Vishneva, a ballerina. The wife, whose name was associated with both Leonardo DiCaprio and Vito Schnabel, also got it.
Career of “Abramovich’s girl”
Dasha Zhukova: “Many people think that I received everything on a silver platter, and only I know how much work it all cost me”
Original of this material © “Career”, February 2008, Khudasha
Dmitry Bykov
Daria Zhukova is the most famous girl of her generation. And Ksenia Sobchak, you ask? The most scandalous, and this is a completely different matter. They were even friends, they say, but Ksenia took the wrong path. Zhukova is a good girl. Rumors about the total Kremlin control of the Russian space are exaggerated, but social life is painted in the Kremlin - through this very life, open to all tabloids, the main messages are broadcast. A whole play is played out there with virtuous and dubious characters, and those who want to please their elders must act like the good ones, and the bad ones, for clarity, are as bad as an ordinary mortal could never do. Zhukova in this play plays the role of Belyanochka, and Sobchak - Chernyanochka, although in life it’s the other way around. My longtime friend, writer Tatyana Ustinova, and I had our own version of Abramovich’s divorce, we even wanted to write a novel together, but then the Abramovichs issued a special statement asking us not to pry into their personal lives, and we decided not to run into it. In short, the version is that through Abramovich, who in fact has no money, and in general he was invented as an exemplary Kremlin oligarch, a virtual character, the rest of the rich are shown what they need to do. He heads Chukotka - everyone is rushing to run for office in problem regions and sponsor them. Buys Chelsea - everyone is rapidly investing in sports. He sells his assets and leaves for England - everyone understands that their time is over, and they are drawn back there. He dumps Berezovsky - everyone dumps Berezovsky, who will soon have no living space left. And so on. But then he really fell in love with Dasha Zhukova and divorced his wife - and all the oligarchs realized that they would soon be rudely divorced; a wonderful tragicomic story could have come from this, to the point that Abramovich’s stay at the Lanserhof clinic after the divorce would have provoked a mass neurological examination of the Russian elite, accustomed to looking up to the leader in everything. But if in relation to Abramovich all this looks grotesque, then in relation to Dasha Zhukova it is, in my opinion, an objective reality. She is an example of correct behavior for the “golden youth”.
Roman Abramovich
Before meeting Abramovich, her fate was unremarkable. Daughter of Alexander Zhukov (Radkin, who took his wife’s surname in marriage) and microbiologist Elena Zhukova. Born in September 1983. Two years later, the parents divorced, and Dasha’s mother, who received an invitation to work in the States, left with the child for Santa Barbara. Dasha lived there until she was 16 years old, studying at an elite school (Daily Mail even claims that the school was closed, English-style boarding school). In 1999, Alexander Zhukov already received a British passport with the number 070255788 and became a full English citizen. By mutual agreement of the spouses, the daughter moved to her father and began studying to become a doctor. According to Dasha herself, she looks more like her mother, but her character and charisma are her father’s. She settled in the penthouse of Zhukov’s mansion in Kensington, but traveled a lot around the world, communicating with her beloved friends in the “golden youth” environment. She was credited with friendship with Paris Hilton, the editor of Russian Harper's Bazaar Shahri Amirkhanova adores her, she appeared in Sobchak's company - however, her most frequent hangout place was Paris, not Moscow; She speaks Russian with a slight American accent. In Paris, they say, she met Marat Safin, who does not fixate on anyone for a long time, but for some reason he fell for Dasha and soon began to introduce himself everywhere as a bride. In January 2005, having won the Australian Open, Safin publicly stated that he owed the victory to his friend Dasha (who waved at him from the stands in response). But already in February, Abramovich was introduced to Dasha at a party after the Barcelona-Chelsea match (in Barcelona, at the Hilton Hotel). Chelsea won then, and Abramovich seemed to believe that Dasha was bringing him good luck. I don’t know whether Abramovich is capable of believing in anything - usually his behavior is rational to the point of yawning - but by September 2006, rumors about his affair with Zhukova had become surprisingly persistent.
True, they had not just an affair with Safin, but a continuous “cat and mouse”: they would come running, run away, come running again... They returned to each other from everywhere and from everyone: Dasha, say, had a fleeting affair with Freddie Windsor, the son of the Duke and the Duchess of Kent, but Safin himself was not a Puritan and gave up on this. Marat, in turn, had a flirtation with Alena Selezneva (“Other Rules”), and Zhukova was very angry, but it quickly ended. Selezneva, they say, suffered a lot, but Safin could not live without Dasha. Everywhere where she and Zhukova appeared together, photographers kept their lenses on them, and these, in general, were eloquent photographs. In October 2006, when only the lazy did not write about Abramovich’s affair with Zhukova, Safin was just playing in the Kremlin Cup and did not give any interviews, but his longtime acquaintance, sports journalist Sergei Dadygin, caught him at the Olimpiysky sports complex on the way to the locker room. Safin recognized Dadygin and ordered the bodyguards to let him through.
—Have you read what they write in London? - Naturally. - And what can you say about Dasha? - This. Human. Me. More. “Not interested,” Safin said.
Dadygin recalls that he looked terrible. And on November 13, 2006, she was seen in the company of Safin in Moscow at Willy Tokarev’s birthday, but as soon as they found out and started taking photographs, she immediately ran away. Alimzhan Tokhtakhunov, who arrived with Safin, was indignant: “What nonsense! No Zhukova, we arrived together!” - but Tokarev’s press secretary confirmed: it was.
It was there and floated away. That same November, he and Abramovich were seen in Venice
...Here I should make a digression about my foresight. In May 2006, a well-known secular reporter invited me to give Sobesednik a note about Abramovich’s new hobby and a photograph to boot, for a mere three grand. But I felt sorry for the three thousand, and I didn’t take this note from him. In September, he appeared again, with two photographs and an extended note, and I again regretted three pieces. As a result, the note and photographs were sent to another place, but on the eve of publication they received a call from Abramovich and very convincingly asked not to publish anything. And they’ve already paid three grand, can you imagine? So they were left without a sensation and without pieces, and I guessed that Dasha Zhukova really means something to Abramovich. But in November, official information about troubles in his family had already passed, and, therefore, he still could not contain all the demons in the flask. Bozhena Rynska, the most knowledgeable girl in the pack of domestic society chroniclers, told the shocked public that Ekaterina Fomicheva, the daughter of academician Plate and the wife of Russian-London businessman Ruslan Fomichev, opened Irina Abramovich’s eyes to her husband’s hobby and she allegedly could not bear the betrayal. There was a scandal, divorce and division of property.
Who is who?
Nothing is clear about this divorce yet.
Alexander Sharov’s fantastic story “Pirrow Island” described the amazing ability of several islanders to grow precious stones inside themselves, just as others grow kidney stones. For this, however, it was necessary to drink a special drug. If a child, upon initial examination, revealed the ability to subsequently lay golden eggs or blow diamonds, he became the subject of constant care for those around him. Daria Zhukova resembles such a Pyrrhian child: she cannot help but have a diamond or, at worst, an oil field. Roman Abramovich does not invest in anything for nothing. All that remains is to guess how you can make millions here.
In fact, Zhukova studies at the London branch of the British Institute of Naturopathy - the renowned CNM, College of Naturopathic Medicine. The wealthy university has branches in London, Bristol, Manchester, Edinburgh and Dublin; According to sociologists, 68% of English people have lost faith in traditional medicine and, in case of fatigue, headaches or decreased performance, turn to naturopaths. We know relatively little about this school, since in Soviet times traditional medicine was mercilessly exposed, and even now it is compromised by countless shamans; Meanwhile, acupuncture, homeopathy and herbal treatment, in the study of which Zhukova demonstrates amazing success, have long been rehabilitated in the West and are recognized by all the luminaries there. Naturopathy is the future, and since Zhukova is one of the first Russian specialists to complete a full course of study at a prestigious university where the Italian, German and English founders of modern natural healing teach, she has every chance of founding a super clinic for celebrities in Russia: the CNM diploma is valued in everything world. And this clinic will bring money - don’t worry, mom: from a certain moment all rich people begin to undergo intensive treatment, because in the outside world they have already optimized everything and it’s time to focus on the inside.
Or perhaps it’s all about her boutique Kova & T, her own clothing line, which she launched together with her London friend Christina Tan, daughter of the largest Hong Kong couturier Sir David Tan (full Chinese name - Tan Wang Chen), a Cambridge graduate and honorary consul of Cuba in Hong Kong. David Tang became a millionaire because he sensed the European fashion for everything Asian in time and in 1984 opened dozens of chic Shanghai Tang Chinese fashion boutiques around the world, and his daughter continued her father’s work. A clothing store from Zhukova has already opened in TSUM, jeans from Kova are popular in the Moscow fashion crowd (Lord, what terrible words am I writing! Is there anything more vulgar than the definition of “Moscow fashion crowd!”). Alena Doletskaya, the chief editor of Russian Vogue, has already said that rumors about Dasha’s affair with Abramovich only hinder the strengthening of her designer image, and the girl has great prospects and absolute taste. After all, Drew Barrymore is already wearing jeans from Zhukova and Tan. Do you think Drew Barrymore would wear bad jeans? (God knows, maybe it will be, I have not yet seen her in any role that would require even a grain of intelligence.) At the same time, the girls wisely do not want to raise the prices for their products - the most expensive pants of their work rarely cost more than 100 ( however, dresses - up to 400).
Perhaps Abramovich is planning a merger and acquisition - Dasha’s father, Alexander Zhukov, is his long-time partner in the oil business. Let’s say they decided to pool their capital and at the same time become related, but Alexander Borisovich Zhukov seems to have not been one of the major players since 2001. We will not now delve into the history of his greatness and fall, into the Italian scandal around the arms trade, cunningly inspired by his competitors, in which Alexander Borisovich was not involved, and into the mechanism of taking the Odessa oil transshipment complex from him; the fact is that today he controls only the Virginia fund Glengary Overseas Limited, which, although it owns a quarter of the British oil company JKX Oil & Gas, can hardly compare with the assets of Roman Abramovich. Divorcing his wife, with whom he lived for 16 years and had five children, for the sake of a quarter of the shares of JKX Oil & Gas... somehow this is not very in the spirit of the richest man in Russia. Is it possible that one of Glengary’s shareholders is, for example, the 2016 successor, but no one except Abramovich knows about this yet. And will the institution of succession continue until 2020?
It is even more likely that Roman Abramovich needed the whole story with Zhukova to diversify his capital or further legalize it; This scenario was also suggested by serious analysts like Georgy Satarov. Many people warned about the possibility of a grand attack on Abramovich; State Duma deputy Vladimir Yudin claimed that Abramovich caused $6 billion in damage to Russia and demanded that a case be opened. Alexander Khinshtein, forgive me, Lord, he wrote a book. In 2005, no one knew who the successor would be. Let’s imagine a situation with a potential seizure of money - but there is nothing to take away: as you know, all the oligarch’s property has long been transferred to his five children and given in trust to his top managers. He himself formally owns very modest means, but even they make envious people salivate; So we will further diversify them by transferring $2 billion to the wife as part of the divorce. Abramovich generally knows how to distribute capital, get rid of assets in a timely manner and invest them in something remote and safe even more timely. All of it, either 17 or 19 billion, has been so cleverly distributed among relatives, friends and colleagues that go find it. In these circumstances, Dasha Zhukova is nothing more than a figurehead. As a result, no one loses, Dasha, as a designer and acupuncturist, receives fabulous PR (which patient doesn’t want to fall into the hands of Roman Abramovich?!), and Abramovich invests his capital in the most reliable way, that is, he sues himself. To be honest, I myself am inclined towards this option. Everyone who has observed Abramovich in his home circle knows very well that his relationship with his wife is ideal, and 16 years of such a strong marriage would somehow withstand an affair on the side.
True, a couple of British tabloids came out with the version that Abramovich’s divorce and marriage to Dasha was insisted on by... Vladimir Putin. According to British journalists, although Abramovich and Putin are only 15 years apart, Putin treats him like a father, literally “lightens up” when he appears and follows Abramovich’s household affairs very closely. That is, Ustinova and I turned out to be right and the life of the main Russian oligarch is regulated directly from the Kremlin. He is, after all, the export face of Russian business and should set an example. But since divorce spoils your reputation more than a dozen outside hobbies - especially if you have five children - even those who are accustomed to expecting any surprises from the Russian president refuse to allow such a strange whim of Vladimir Putin.
But, in short, at the beginning of March 2007, the Abramovichs divorced and reported it legally, and Dasha went with Roman to Paris and stayed there at Hotel Fouquet`s Barriere (this pleasure costs ¤1400 per day). The paparazzi saw them, offered pictures to the Sun, but at the last moment they themselves refused to publish them, because Roma called again and convincingly asked. From this moment on, Zhukova becomes the center of attention of our and non-our press, since Abramovich is already introducing her to everyone as his official companion. And this is where positioning her as the Proper Girl of the Oligarch begins, that is, broadcasting messages through her about how to behave.
Female component
At the end of September 2007, Zhukova modestly celebrated her 24th birthday on the summer veranda of the Bon restaurant. She is cordial with her father and wears an elegant silver Collette Dinnigan dress. Father beams. Abramovich is conspicuously absent: girls shouldn’t show off rich producers too much, let them be loved not for that, but for their own achievements. For her birthday, she buys herself a painting by Andy Warhol: you have to appreciate art. For comparison: other guests give either a watch, or jewelry, or a leather stool in the shape of a pig. Feel the difference.
On October 25, 2007, Zhukova opened her boutique in Moscow. Prior to this, Kova & T stores opened in 83 countries around the world, and Zhukova’s personally designed Dasha Skinny jeans model, that is, thin Dasha, Hudasha, is popular all over the world, especially in the States. At the opening of the boutique, Dasha personally greets guests, wearing a vest - a symbol of the Russian sea soul - and shiny tight leggings. All reporters note Dasha’s severity and restraint. After the opening of the boutique, she gives an interview at Alexander Mamut’s restaurant-club The Most. “A lot of people think I got everything on a silver platter,” she says with a smile. “And only I know how much work all this cost me.”
On December 19, Daria Zhukova speaks at a charity auction in Novinsky Passage - the Chulpan Khamatova and Dina Korzun “Give Life” foundation is selling angels made by the hard-working hands of secular characters, and donating the money to save sick children. Saving sick children, of course, is a good thing, but the action itself exposes the monstrous bad taste of its organizers (especially considering that it is being led by Andrei Malakhov and Alexander Tsekalo under the leadership of Tatyana Vedeneyeva). Zhukova, who personally participated in the making of the angels, refuses to take the microphone (“Now Polina will tell you everything”), and her friend Polina Deripaska, nee Yumasheva, has to take the rap. Zhukova herself shelled out 14 thousand for dolls made by Olga Slutsker and Valentin Yudashkin. This is what pioneers do.
Throughout December last year, Daria Zhukova has been actively working on creating a women's Internet resource www.spletnik.ru and thinking through its content in detail. The resource belongs to Forward Media Group, supervised by Oleg Deripaska, and plans to gain a leading position on the Russian Internet, and Dasha Zhukova believes that the battle for minds must be waged on the Internet.
All this time, Dasha does not say a word about her personal life. “No comment” is her constant answer to all questions about Abramovich. But she is ready to talk about charity, naturopathy or fashion trends in clothing for hours, without ceasing to demonstrate her own products as samples. A person works, does not play. Zhukova is rarely seen at social events in Russia: she prefers to frolic abroad, where no one sees her. And here he is involved in charity work, promoting a healthy lifestyle and independence from wealthy patrons.
In short, everything that Dasha Zhukova has done since people turned their attention to her, Abramovich’s companion, serves to promote the right values. This suggests that the Abramovich media project now has a female component, just as Barbie once had Ken to raise boys. Dasha has everything that Russian youth would want to imitate: she does not depend on her parents, but loves them; she has a lot of money, but she generously spends it on good things; She has a huge apartment in London (its value is estimated at $3 million), but she spends most of her time in her homeland. All she has to do is join United Russia or head its youth wing - and, it seems, she will not rust - so that the ideal image of the Good Rich Girl is finally formed in the minds of young Russians.
And then Roman Abramovich will be able to marry her. Or, what is even more likely, Marat Safin will do this - after all, constancy and loyalty to old love are especially attractive in girls. It seems to me that Dasha Zhukova has already done everything she could for Roman Abramovich, namely: she helped him transfer part of his fortune to his wife and do it in such a way that the alienation of this property became impossible. It is not for nothing that they are seen less and less together, and Abramovich, in conversations with various interlocutors, makes it clear that he does not intend to marry a third time.
I do not believe!
They may, of course, object to me: why don’t you admit that everything happened in reality? That the richest man in Russia is also a man, that he could fall in love with a frivolous beauty, be seduced, try to save his family, receive a categorical refusal from his wife, get a divorce and then quarrel with the seductress? That Dasha Zhukova is just a promising businesswoman, and not a model of behavior for young wealthy Russians? That Abramovich really liked her, and did not help him in the deal and did not seem like an ideal investment?
For some reason I don’t believe what you want to do. One of two things: either I am such a bad person, or Russian business and social life have weaned me from finding living human feelings in them. The first explanation, in my opinion, is preferable for everyone.
I have no doubt about only one thing. Dasha Zhukova has a bright future. Because the image of an oligarch’s insidious seductress, an oligarch’s innocent victim or an oligarch’s trembling lover is an equally successful launching pad for any career, including naturopathic, fashion design or political. Unfortunately, a twenty-four-year-old girl in modern Russia has no other ways to loudly express herself.
Unless, of course, she is unlucky and she is not a weaver.
Parting
However, in 2020, Daria Zhukova and Roman Abramovich actually made an official statement about the severance of relations. At the same time, they assured that they remain friends, parents and business partners. In addition to the Garage project, they are working on a cultural center in St. Petersburg. They are connected by real estate in 4 countries (Russia, France, Britain, USA), a luxury yacht and Chelsea, a British football club.
At the end of 2017, Garage hosted an exhibition of Takashi Murakami, a Japanese artist. The couple attended its opening together, spending the entire evening in the company of each other. Daria Zhukova came to open the 2018 spring season without Abramovich. For the first time, the former spouses celebrated the New Year separately. Together with her friends, Daria went to Peru.
She prefers to live in New York, communicating with famous Hollywood actors, journalists and fashion designers. The name of her new lover also became a property. He became the 32-year-old wealthy heir, Greek by nationality, Stavros Niarchos.
Daria Zhukova, Abramovich's common-law wife
They met at a party after the Barcelona - Chelsea match. Since then, they began to appear together often, and reporters began to write about them. Many tried to understand how sincere the relationship between the young girl and the oligarch is. Some have suggested that Dasha Zhukova became a convenient moment for Abramovich to legalize his income, because the girl owns a chain of Kova & T boutiques in many countries around the world, the promotion of which is paid for by the oligarch.
Others thought that Abramovich's relationship with Zhukova was nothing more than a unification of family clans, because Dasha's father is well known in the oil business. There was also a hypothesis that Dasha became a kind of talisman for the oligarch, bringing good luck. Be that as it may, Zhukova and Abramovich get along well with each other. So good that for the sake of this girl, the oligarch divorced his wife Irina, with whom he had been married for 16 years. Nevertheless, Roman Abramovich has a good family with Dasha, at least as far as one can judge by external signs. In 2009, their son was born.
Dasha Zhukova is the ideal example of a rich girl
What does the oligarch's wife do? First, she promotes her business. The Kova & T boutique network is expanding every year. She carefully selects the assortment and produces independent collections. Secondly, Zhukova actively takes part in various charity campaigns. Part of the money from sales in boutiques goes to a fund to help sick children. Thirdly, she is passionate about art: she has her own gallery, where art exhibitions are regularly held. Dasha Zhukova also owns the art magazine “Garage”. In general, Abramovich’s current wife leads a life worthy of emulation, which cannot but attract young girls striving for wealth and fame. Secular observers even often criticize Dasha for her too saccharine behavior, seeing in it insincerity and a certain PR move by Abramovich. It must be admitted that if the oligarch had not been next to her, the business would have gone just as well, but on a smaller scale, and the rest of the projects would not have developed so quickly.
