An acrimonious property dispute involving Vladimir Putin is connected to the mysterious death of a wealthy Russian woman in London.
‘Healthy’ Irina Izmestieva, 52, was this month found dead at her £15 million Kensington mansion, sparking a demand from the capital’s most prominent Moscow emigre that MI5 should investigate.
Now it can be revealed that her husband Igor Izmestyev, 55, a former senator jailed in Russia, had infuriated the Kremlin leader’s circle by refusing to vacate and sell the family’s pink-tinted £35 million ‘art nouveau castle’ which was close to Putin’s official residence Novo-Ogaryovo, his main home.
In 2006, Izmestieva was informed by her husband that noises from their family’s frequent firework parties were irritating Putin and Lyudmila and both their daughters. Also, it was distressing to their pets, Skazka and dogs.
Irina Izmestieva (left), found dead at her Kensington house this month. Igor Izmestyev, her husband was sentenced to life imprisonment in a Russian high-security prison.
Husband Igor Izmestyev, 55, a former senator jailed in Russia, had infuriated the Kremlin leader’s circle by refusing to vacate and sell the family’s pink-tinted £35 million ‘art nouveau castle’ (right) which was close to Putin’s official residence Novo-Ogaryovo, his main home
Oil and shipping magnate Izmestyev was offered a deal to sell the pink house – across Moscow River from the presidential residence – and move elsewhere but he allegedly demanded 42 million euro (£35 million), it was reported at the time
Mrs Izmestieva at Ascot racecourse in Berkshire, England
Irina’s husband, Igor was photographed inside jail. It is believed that he ordered the execution of contract murders
Nikolai Patrushev, the former head of FSB’s secret service and successor to KGB was reportedly even more furious at Izmestyev. In Britain, he was seen as having approved the 2006 tea-spiking poisoning by Alexander Litvinenko using polonium-210.
The US sanctioned Patrushev in 2018 after the poisoning in Salisbury of Sergei Skripal, a long-serving Secretary of the Kremlin Security Council.
Oil and shipping magnate Izmestyev was offered a deal to sell his property – across Moscow River from the presidential residence – and move elsewhere but he allegedly demanded 42 million euro (£35 million), it was reported at the time.
He was then accused of greed and ordered to raze the country home, which he built illegally on land protected by the law.
A criminal investigation into him was launched for ordering the execution of contracts killings. According to reports, he was eventually convicted and sentenced life imprisonment.
Putin declined a request from Russia’s top human rights activist to pardon Izmestyev in 2018. She believed he was innocent and supported the claims of his friends about him being framed.
The harsh White Swan prison where he is kept together with cannibals and serial killers keeps him locked up.
Evgeniy Chuchvarkin, 47-year old Russian mobile phone mogul and Putin foe has renewed the call he made last week to MI5 to inquire about Izmestieva’s suicide on her sofa.
According to him, she was found dead in the midst of a new dispute over property that involved ‘huge amounts.’ He did not specify the dispute, nor if it had anything to do with the conflict about their family losing the house close to Putin’s.
Chichvarkin now owns Hedonism Wines, London. He said to pro-Kremlin Komsomolskaya Pravda (which did not mention Putin’s earlier dispute): “This is an extraordinarily strange coincidence.
“It is always odd when someone dies at the new stage in a property dispute.
Asked if he believed there were reasons for a probe into Izmestieva’s death, he said: ‘When a sudden death happens in such circumstances, at such an age…
“Nowadays, strong, happy and young people don’t simply die at any age.
“This is an odd situation. But, I don’t draw any conclusions.
“It’s a very difficult situation regarding the criminal prosecution against her husband.
“A serious, tragic situation.”
He said: ‘My point is that it is worth paying attention…when things like this happen.’
He stated earlier that he hoped the UK’s special forces would investigate the case thoroughly and properly. Perhaps one day they’ll discover what actually happened.
Two-time mother Ms. Izmestieva was photographed at Prince Harry’s 2012 polo match
Irina Izmestieva (52) smiles while she waits for the polo fixture. There, she talked with the prince
The £15million home of Russian senator’s dead wife Irina Izmestieva, just a stone’s throw from Kensington Palace
There have been a series of deaths in British exiles who were Russian.
Miranda Mirianishvili (49), Izmestieva’s London friend, originally said that Izmestieva, a former film director, had died unexpectedly and was not related to Covid.
Since then, friends have downplayed the foul play and the Metropolitan Police stated that it didn’t consider the death suspicious.
Russian MP Alexander Khinshtein was also a senior official of the ruling United Russia political parties. Vedomosti quoted him in 2006 as saying Putin “periodically saw noisy parties and barbecues by Izmestyev”.
The president’s office was in talks with him about swapping his house to a new one.
But greed took him out.
“When negotiations began, he requested a Raiffeisenbank valuation of his house – it was valued at 42 millions euros.
“Then Rosprirodnadzor, Russia’s environmental watchdog became more interested in legality of construction.
Yulia Lattina, an influential Moscow journalist who was critical of Putin’s behavior and property disputes, said Izmestiyev was “implicated” as the culprit behind many grizzly deaths that were linked to contract killings.
The Kingisepp gang was also accused of his arrest, as well as a dispute with President Vladimir Putin who owns a nearby dacha.
“During this conflict, Izmestiyev apparently annoyed the president by refusing the sale of his dacha for the price offered.
Russian socialite Irina Izmestieva takes a holiday
“I wonder if there would have been murder charges against him if his dacha was just sold.”
Izmestyev and his twin daughters aged 21 and 20 moved to London after the conflict.
He flew soon after to Bishkek, Central Asia on the 16th of January 2007. There he was greeted by a trap.
He was detained by the Kyrgyzstan Special Forces and then handed to the FSB.
His trial resulted in him being sentenced to life imprisonment after he was taken by air from Moscow.
At the time, he said: “I was kidnapped.” It all comes down to money.
Kommersant Business newspaper also received a statement from him stating that the unresolved conflict was due to extortion regarding his home.
He was sentenced to life in prison. While his two daughters were in prison, his wife, an ex-TV presenter, educated them privately in Britain. She also became a film director, working with royalty and celebrities.
Irina (main), and (above), with actor Jeremy Irons
According to reports, Putin said that Lyudmila Alexandreyeva (now deceased) had told him he would pardon Izmestyev. Alexeyeva believed that Izmestyev was innocent of ordering the murders.
This did not occur, perhaps because the imprisoned tycoon was unwilling to return his fortune and so he was kept in prison.
Today, The Daily Mail reported that Izmestieva had been planning a legal battle against Russia to get her husband out of prison.
According to reports, she turned to Strasbourg’s European Court of Human Rights to resolve her dispute. This could have been a major embarrassment for the Kremlin.
Yet there was also reported to be another property dispute concerning her Kensington home, bought in 2006 for £8.85 million by a company registered in the British Virgin Islands.