‘A stranger with poisonous associations and intentions’ is what Yuri Shefler has been referred to by American actor, Brad Pitt.
Like being forced out of your birth country in the 2000s isn’t enough, now, Yuri is at the center of an ex-lover’s battle that has made him the enemy of one of Hollywood’s most loved actors.
What caused this entire drama? Well, former ‘Bradgelina’ have been in and out of court, and several new publications following their divorce. First, it was custody for their kids, now, it’s the sale of a part of their French winery.
Brad has accused Angelina Jolie of selling her own half of their Chateau Miraval to Yuri Shefler. The man Pitt eyes suspiciously and believes has only come into his life to cause more damage.
Interestingly, Shefler isn’t new to accusations. If he could survive Vladimir Putin more than 2 decades ago, he should be able to get out of this unscathed.
Yuri Shefler is a Businessman Fluent in the Vodka Producing Industry
Referring to Yuri as a billionaire isn’t exaggerating because he is worth $ 1.5 billion as of July 14, 2023. He established the brand now known as SPI Group back in 1997. They began operations in Russia in the 2000s.
Shefler is the owner of SPI’s Stolichnaya Vodka Company based in Latvia since 2000. The company is known for its production of alcoholic beverages of about 380 brands being sold in 170 different locations. It however operates mainly from a complex in Riga, the capital of Latvia.
When Yuri began operations of this brand, it was known by the name Stolichnaya but with a rebrand and change of name, it is basically called by its nickname ‘Stoli’.
If you are conversant with vodka and have come across brands such as Elit and Moskovskaya, then you just met the owner.
Those are 2 of Stoli’s top brands but there are many more including Stoli Vodka, Bayou Rum Liquers, Cenote Tequila, and Se Busca Mezcal.
Yuri Shefler’s brand also has a wine branch known as Tenute del Mondo Group. This division of his empire was created in 2006 and has since bought Italian, Spanish, and Argentinian franchises. The most recent of Yuri’s purchases is a part of a French winery.
Stoli, in its earliest form as Stolichnaya had over 60 shops that housed its numerous alcoholic brands.
In addition to being a great vodka businessman, Yuri Shefler is also quite interested in properties. He buys lands ad has quite a vast area littered around Europe, for agricultural purposes.
He was Chased Out of Russia in 2001
Yuri Shefler was born in Oryol, Russia on September 10, 1967. The Plekhanov Russian University graduate of Economics got on the bad books of Russian President, Vladimir Putin back in the late 90s.
He was a one-time chairman of JSC Vnukovo Airlines in Russia. However, he became a person of interest in Russia due to his rising fame in this business.
Yuri was accused by the Russian government under Putin’s administration, of misappropriation. The accusation labeled against him stated that he had misappropriated the alcohol brand Stolichnaya Vodka which he bought from VVO Soyuzplodoimport (a state-owned brand).
Shefler purchase this brand at the cost of $285,000 back in 1997 when he took over ownership. However, in 2002, the Russian court ruled that the sale and purchase of said state-owned brand was illegal.
This led to him being banned from selling the vodka produced under this company, in Russia. it was as a result of this that Yuri absconded from Russia and sought refuge in Latvia where he ended up establishing his Stoli’s parent company.
In 2002, he then again relocated to the United Kingdom and became a citizen there. Yuri Shefler is also an Israeli citizen.
According to the businessman, he was forced out of Russia because he stood against Vladimir Putin. His decision to change the name of his alcohol brand was due to the fact that he didn’t want to be associated with Russia anymore.
Furthermore, the 57-year-old billionaire has shown support for Ukraine since the Russian-Ukraine war started in early 2022.
He Once Owned a Yacht Bill Gates Has Also Used
Did you hear of the time when American Billionaire, Bill Gates rented a yacht for his Sardinia vacation in 2014? He cruised on the Selene which was worth $330 million and was amongst the 10 longest yachts ever. It was 439 feet long.
The Selene was built for Yuri Shefler by Fincantieri, an Italian shipyard, way back in 2011. He later sold it to Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a Saudi Crown Prince, for about $500 million.
The Selene cost $5 million for lease and there have been quite a number of billionaires who have cruised in it.
He also owns private jets worth over $120 million combined. His Gulf Stream G650 costs $70 million while his Bombardier Global Express XRS costs $55 million.
British-Israeli billionaire Yuri also owns 3 houses worth over $50 million. One houses his family in 7 bedroom mansion, and the second is his getaway house located on the Cote d’Azur. The third cost $33 million and is known as Scotland’s most expensive sporting estate.
Yuri Shefler Has Been Married Multiple Times and Has a Thing for Super Models
Shefler has been married at least thrice. The report has it that he first became a father in his early 20s.
He has a child identified as Lada whose mother’s life (and death) remains a mystery.
Lada is reportedly a lifestyle blogger who was born way back in 1988 when Yuri was barely 21 years old
The article also names Elena Litueva as the mother of 1 of Yuri’s 7 children.
Elena is reported as Shefler’s ex-wife who bore him Alexei in 2001. Alexei studied in London and also served in the Russian army.
His well-known wife is former Victoria’s Secret model, Tatiana Kovylina. She is the mother of 4 of the Russian Oligarch’s kids.
The model has worked with several other brands such as Givenchy, Calvin Klein, and Ann Taylor, to name a few. She also owns her own wear brand known as the ‘Silou’ located in London.
Tatiana seems to also have an affiliation with her husband’s businesses too. However, Dailymail reported that they split back in 2021 after birthing their youngest son in May.
Right now, he is said to have begun dating Miss World 2008, Ksenia Sukhinova. The former Miss Russian even has a son for him named Artem who was born in Miami in August 2022.
Yuri Shefler Found Himself at the Center of Brad Pitt and Angelina Court Battles
Yuri Shefler has been caught up in the middle of a family drama between Maleficient actress, Angelina Jolie and her fellow American actor ex-husband, Brad Pitt.
The drama which started in 2009 has seen the couple battle for basically everything from kids to properties.
The most recent drama is the sale of a part of the Chateau Miraval winery which belonged to the couple.
The court, upon their divorce, proclaimed a 50/50 division of their belongings. As a result, Angelina informed her ex-husband that she wanted to sell her part of the winery. Reports claim that Brad agreed to it and stated that he would look for funding for it.
However, recent reports revealed to the actor that his ex-wife had gone ahead to sell her part. According to Pitt, Jolie sold her part of the property to Yuri maliciously in order to spite him.
On the other hand, Angelina has counter-sued her ex claiming that Brad used to gaslight and bully her. She also claimed that he was diverting and misappropriating funds gotten from the winery.
This seeming family drama has somehow involved the Russian Oligarch who is caught up in the middle of the court issue.
The actor, Pitt has urged the court to nullify the sale of Angelina Jolie’s part of the winery to Yuri Shelfer.
Though maybe not directly his fight, the vodka lord has been dragged into this battle with the Bullet Train actor.
