The court hearing took place in Moscow. Only the spouses' lawyers were present.
Some couples take years to get divorced, while others do it quickly and without much trouble. Alisher Usmanov and Irina Viner chose the latter option.
On May 19, they announced their separation after three decades of marriage, and have already resolved some important matters in court.
There didn't seem to be any signs of problems between the spouses. The gymnasts trained by Viner always referred to her marriage to an oligarch as a strong union. They called it “the union of two strong people.”
Irina Alexandrovna herself emphasized the secret to her successful relationship with her husband is giving him freedom.
They both built successful careers: Viner led the Russian rhythmic gymnastics team, and Usmanov was growing his own business.
Living in the same city and country, the spouses rarely lived separately. Irina Alexandrovna preferred to spend most of her time in a mansion in Novogorsk, near the sports base, while Alisher Usmanov built a cottage for himself on Rublevka.
Journalists often inquired whether such an arrangement suited her, and she replied that they still managed to miss each other and always had something to talk about.
The spouses didn't have any children together, but they raised Viner's son from her first marriage, Anton.
Over 30 years, the coach and the oligarch managed to obtain a significant collection of shared property. According to official reports, Viner and Usmanov own a villa in Sardinia, two estates in London, a castle in Tashkent, a 156-meter yacht Dilbar, and other real estate.
“If everything is peaceful and we agree on everything, then no comment,”
In 2022, Alisher Usmanov ranked 7th in the list of the richest people in Russia. Forbes estimates his fortune at $11.5 billion. Irina Viner did not disclose her income.
Ksenia Sobchak commented on the couple's divorce, saying, “And, of course, Viner has never been just attached to her husband; she is a person with a significant name herself. Things happen in life, but in this case, people still remain close to each other.”
During the meeting on June 7 at the world site No. 205 in the western part of the capital, neither Viner nor Usmanov attended – their representatives resolved all issues among themselves. The trial itself was held in private.
Usmanov’s lawyer Sergei Popov requested to close the court session to prevent details from being revealed. Popov said, transmits “StarHit”:
“Documents, including information about the reasons for the divorce, the spouses’ residences, and so on, will be reviewed. Our client is a well-known entrepreneur, an influential person, and his wife is a renowned coach. These circumstances do not need to be proven. They kept their relationship private, and there was no information about their marriage in the media. Disclosing information about their private life could negatively impact their business.”
Despite the fact that earlier this meeting was designated as final, the end of the divorce case has not yet been put. It is likely that several more high-profile ones will follow the peace process (if the spouses do not come to an agreement), but they themselves would like to avoid this.
Irina Viner and Alisher Usmanov met almost half a century ago. They were both born and raised in Uzbekistan and as teenagers trained in the same gym: she was engaged in rhythmic gymnastics, and he was in fencing.
But the romance between them began already at a more mature age: by that time, Irina Alexandrovna had already managed to get married, give birth to a son and part with her first husband. Viner and Usmanov got married only in 1992, and before that she had to wait for him from prison for six years.
Usmanov received a term on charges of bribery, fraud and theft of socialist property. In the early 2000s, this case was recognized as fabricated: the oligarch was completely rehabilitated.
