Over the past decade, businessman Vladimir Potanin has regularly appeared in the top ten richest people in Russia according to Forbes magazine. Until 2013, he also remained a rare example of consistency and loyalty in his personal life. The billionaire lived with his wife Natalia for over 30 years and had three children. However, after the start of a scandalous divorce from his wife, accompanied by litigation over the division of property, the image of an ideal family man disintegrated overnight. Moreover, as soon as he received the desired freedom, Potanin again tied the knot.
First wife
The businessman met his first wife Natalya Varlamova during his school years; they lived in neighboring houses in a small microdistrict Davydkovo. Mutual sympathy and romantic relationships turned into the creation of a family. The Potanins got married in 1983 shortly after receiving their diplomas. The newlyweds settled in a three-room apartment of Natalia's parents. In the same year, Vladimir graduated from the Faculty of Economics of MGIMO and began his career. In 1984, his wife gave him his first child - daughter Anastasia.
For 30 years of family life, the businessman never gave the press a reason to doubt the strength of his marriage bonds. When other rich men divorced and changed wives for younger chosen ones, Potanin remained faithful to his school love. From their joint photos, occasionally found on the Internet, there was a warmth and tenderness. In addition to the eldest daughter, the couple had two sons - Ivan in 1989 and Vasily in 2000.
In the first years of family life, Natalia worked on a par with her husband. She graduated from the Moscow Institute of Transport Engineers and worked at the USSR Ministry of Construction. When Potanin's business went uphill, she moved to his company "Interros Estate", was engaged in architectural and construction issues. But Natalia's main concern all these years has been family and children. She lived by their hobbies, created for her husband a strong, reliable rear and comfort, where he could take a break from the exhausting struggle in the merciless world of business.
The wife admitted that Vladimir Potanin has always been a rather tough and domineering person. However, she did not consider this a disadvantage, since she knew how to conduct a dialogue with him, and in many respects agreed with his line of behavior. For example, spouses from the very beginning tried not to pamper their children, instilling in them a love of sports and independent work. No wonder the older heirs - Anastasia and Ivan - in their youth were seriously engaged in aquabike (jet ski racing). The Potanins' children won many awards in this sports discipline, became champions of Russia and the world.
Of course, the spouses also had quarrels, moments of misunderstanding, clarification of the relationship. Once, according to Natalia's recollections, her husband even offered to divorce her, but then quickly cooled down. The real breakup was never talked about until one fateful evening in November 2013.
Divorce
Talking about the day when her family began to fall apart, Potanin's ex-wife reproduces what happened almost minute by minute. It was Sunday night, November 17, 2013. By tradition, the family gathered for dinner at their residence in Luzhki. When the children left their parents at the table, Vladimir, in an ultimatum, announced his divorce to his wife. Natalia, according to her, experienced a real shock. In addition, the husband demanded the immediate signing of papers on the refusal to divide the property. In return, he offered material assistance, real estate, and tuition fees for his youngest son. True, all the promises were only in words.
After such a dastardly and unexpected blow, Natalya realized that she could not trust him. She asked Vladimir to wait with a divorce, since she was flying with her son to the USA, where he was to study, and wanted to save the child from unnecessary stress before exams. Alas, in the evening before leaving, they brought her a subpoena for divorce.
So began a long-term litigation of one of the richest businessmen in Russia with his wife, who was there and supported him in everything for 30 years. When it came to the division of property, it turned out that formally Potanin almost did not own anything. The most important assets are registered through trust funds scattered around the world. Natalia has gone through many court hearings in Russia and abroad. Initially, Vladimir stated in court that they had not run a joint household since 2007, but his wife presented evidence to the court refuting these arguments. On the contrary, until the very moment of the official separation, the spouses went on family vacations, celebrated holidays, as evidenced by photographs, videos from the personal archive and testimonies of witnesses.
Unfortunately, the grueling struggle with her ex-husband ended in complete collapse for Natalia. She was denied by the courts of all instances, and after the divorce, she received only an insignificant share of the billionaire's property. But most of all, the woman was upset by Potanin's attitude towards his own children. With his youngest son, he completely broke off relations, inflicting severe psychological trauma on the teenager. The eldest heir was kicked out of his job by his father in one of his subsidiaries when he attempted to intervene in the parents' divorce proceedings. Only her daughter managed to maintain normal relations with Vladimir, taking a neutral position in this dispute.
Second wife
Soon after the divorce, Natalya Potanina learned about the double life of her once faithful and reliable spouse. The press found out that since about 2011, the businessman had a secret affair with one of his employees named Ekaterina. She gave birth to Potanin's daughter Varvara, who at the time of the divorce was already 3 years old.
In the fall of 2014, the billionaire's entourage confirmed the news of his marriage to a longtime lover. The wedding took place in the summer, and the newlyweds spent their honeymoon on the French Riviera. Soon, the businessman introduced his new wife to the public, attending the St. Petersburg Cultural Forum with her. Catherine turned out to be a slender, pretty blonde. During the photo session, she radiantly smiled and supported her husband by the arm, leaving the public without a shadow of doubt about the nature of their relationship. The journalists found out that the new darling is 14 years younger than Potanin.
For several years of marriage, the billionaire hardly appeared in public a couple of times in the company of his second wife. According to unconfirmed information, shortly after the wedding, she gave him a second common child - a son. The story of the divorce of the billionaire had such a wide public response, because it once again destroyed the myth of loyal and loving husbands with big money. The truth of life is such that myths remain at the level of rumors or rare examples, but in reality cynicism, lust and momentary desires still reign.
