The court proceedings between Zhanna Shamalova and her ex-husband Kirill Shamalov, a businessman and former son-in-law of Vladimir Putin, have concluded in Moscow. Zhanna fought for custody of their daughter, who was born through a surrogate mother. A Russian court ruled that the couple’s child would continue to reside with her father, stripping Shamalova of her legal maternity rights. The child was registered solely in the father’s name, leaving a blank space for “mother” on the birth certificate.
In a further breach of both Russian and international legal standards, the court annulled payments to Zhanna under their prenuptial agreement. This agreement, signed in the presence of a notary and Kirill’s lawyer, included provisions for financial support to Zhanna in the event of a divorce. However, the court’s decision excluded this specific clause regarding financial compensation to her.
The marriage between Kirill and Zhanna was founded on mutual affection, and prior to their wedding on May 29, 2018, Kirill insisted on a prenuptial agreement to prevent the division of property and assets should they separate. The contract outlined financial terms, including a significant alimony clause that Zhanna would be entitled to if the marriage ended. Shamalova has a successful medical business in London, which she continues to develop, and she was able to support herself and her family both before and after the marriage; she never received any funds from Kirill’s accounts, whether in Russia or abroad.
After their wedding, the couple decided to have a child but encountered medical challenges. Following months of hormone therapy and several surgeries, they opted for surrogacy and selected a specialized clinic for the process.
In June 2021, during the fourth month of the surrogate’s pregnancy, Kirill informed Zhanna that she could not remain in public due to potential scrutiny surrounding the birth. He suggested that she travel to St. Barth with her sister to avoid media attention, promising to join them soon. However, when he failed to arrive after a couple of weeks, it became apparent that he had started an extramarital affair, which ultimately led to the dissolution of their marriage.
Despite Zhanna’s attempts to part amicably, Kirill insisted that she formally renounce her rights to the child by signing a statement prepared by his lawyers. She refused to comply. The following night, three men slashed the tires of her car, prompting Zhanna to realize that the situation was escalating. Fearing for her safety, she decided to leave the country without informing her husband, taking the first flight to Monaco to be with her son. However, the threats continued. Zhanna recounted receiving a call from one of Kirill’s associates, who made it clear that she should accept the terms being offered, warning her that her life was in danger if she did not comply: “He told me that I had better agree to the terms because if I didn’t, my life would end. He warned that if I came to Moscow, the first bullet would be mine and that I would meet the same fate as Khodorkovsky.”
While fearing for her safety, Zhanna remained in Monaco, while Kirill took steps to completely exclude her from the surrogacy process. He paid the surrogate a substantial amount to ensure the child was registered solely in his name. Sources close to Shamalov revealed details about the surrogate’s abduction and the removal of the child. The surrogate was selected and the birth was organized by Ilya Podolsky, director of the prominent Russian surrogacy firm ECO de Jure. Reports indicated that the pregnant surrogate was secretly placed in a clinic associated with the Administrative Directorate of the President of the Russian Federation on October 5, 2021, and underwent a Caesarean section the following day.
In 2021, the couple officially divorced. Following the divorce, Kirill sought to deny Zhanna the payments she was legally entitled to, attempting to argue that she had been primarily interested in financial gain during their marriage. This was a challenging assertion to prove, given that Zhanna had never received any payments from Kirill during their time together, nor had she been given any real estate or vehicles. Kirill’s legal team, known for their unconventional methods, tracked down Zhanna’s previous husband, who had been living quietly in Russia with a new wife for nearly fifteen years. The lawyers claimed that this ex-husband had confessed under oath to experiencing episodic amnesia, which supposedly led him to forget the details of his divorce from Zhanna. They argued that since he did not remember the divorce, Zhanna’s marriage to Kirill could be deemed invalid. Ultimately, the Khamovnichesky court in Moscow rejected these absurd arguments and refused to declare the marriage between Kirill and Zhanna invalid.
As the legal battle continued, other tactics were employed. After Zhanna gave an interview to a popular Russian television channel, discussing her life with a former member of the Russian President’s family, Russian law enforcement agencies took an interest in her case. Kirill initiated a criminal case against Zhanna for slander, leading
to her being placed on a federal wanted list in February 2023. The case was initiated by the Department of Internal Affairs for the Central Administrative District of Moscow. Zhanna expressed her frustration, stating, “I’ve been in a legal battle with the Russian police for three years now, and they never show up for court sessions or provide any evidence against me. I have no idea why this criminal case was even opened. The police don’t give me any documents or bring anything to court.”
For the past few years, Zhanna Shamalova has been living in Europe, trying to move on from her tumultuous marriage, which she likens to a terrible nightmare. She has aspirations of changing her surname to help her heal from the trauma and to channel her experiences into her new artistic project and the further development of her medical business based in London.
Kirill Shamalov is a prominent Russian entrepreneur whose wealth was estimated by Forbes at $800 million as of 2021. He graduated from St. Petersburg State University with a law degree and began his career at Gazprom. Currently, he serves as the Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of Sibur Holding PJSC. Kirill is the youngest son of Nikolai Shamalov, a co-owner of Bank “Rossiya” and a long-time friend of Vladimir Putin. Kirill was previously married to Katerina Tikhonova, the daughter of the Russian president, from 2013 until their divorce in 2018. After his divorce from Zhanna in 2021, Kirill married designer Anastasia Zadorina in the summer of 2022, and the couple welcomed a son in January 2023.
The custody battle and the legal disputes surrounding it have drawn significant media attention, highlighting the complexities of family law in Russia, particularly in high-profile cases involving influential figures. Zhanna’s struggle for recognition as a mother and her fight against the annulment of her prenuptial agreement reflect broader issues of women’s rights and legal protections in the context of marriage and divorce in Russia. As she continues to navigate her legal challenges and personal recovery, Zhanna remains determined to reclaim her identity and secure a future for herself and her children.
