Raising the Dead

Late Russian Billionaire May Be Exhumed Over Mistress’ Dispute

A number of legal battles, including a paternity dispute, have reportedly mired the estate of Russian billionaire Oleg Burlakov.

The dead Russian billionaire Oleg Burlakov reportedly may be exhumed following a petition from his former mistress, who is attempting to prove whether he was the father of her 1-year-old daughter. According to the Daily Mail, the mistress, Sofia Shevtsova, filed a lawsuit in St. Petersburg. Other disputes are concurrently playing out over Burlakov’s will and the cause of his death, the report said. According to his obituary, Burlakov died in June after battling COVID-19. The billionaire was buried in Canada; he previously made a fortune in the oil and cement industries after taking control of the Russian firms Novoroscement and Burneftegaz in 1992. Burlakov also shepherded the development of the Black Pearl, an “eco-sailing yacht” the can leverage solar power, sails, and a hybrid propulsion system to “cross the Atlantic burning just [five gallons] of fuel,” the obituary said.