"We observe with absolutely every such hereditary case how hereditary battles occur," comments Ekaterina Markova, head of the Department of Family and Inheritance Law.

Over the past year and a half, several major Russian businessmen have passed away at once: Boris Alexandrov, president of Rosagrocomplex and co-founder of the glazed cheese brand; Vladimir Hristov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of PJSC Susumanzoloto; Dmitry Bosov, head of the Board of Directors of Alltek; Andrey Trubnikov, owner of the Natura Siberica brand. The reasons and circumstances are different, but there is a general trend: the sudden death of the owner of a large fortune and the subsequent struggle for inheritance, which can take harsh forms of confrontation with an unpredictable ending.

"Of course, the culture of inheritance in Russia is quite low. Almost every major inheritance case ends in a lawsuit: between heirs, between business partners. This is the main pain of our business, and I think it's time to revive the culture of inheritance in Russia," adds Ekaterina Markova.

According to the Skolkovo Welfare and Philanthropy Management Center, only 18% of Russian entrepreneurs believe they have a succession plan. The remaining 80% have no hereditary concept at all. Inheritance traditions were lost at the beginning of the XX century, other mechanisms operated in the Soviet Union. And now in the history of modern Russia, in fact, the first generation of businessmen who should dispose of their accumulated wealth.


"In order for your business to continue to live – what you have done during your life – you need to take a certain number of steps," says Dmitry Ageev, executive director of the Skolkovo Welfare and Philanthropy Management Center.

A sad example of the unpleasant consequences of the lack of a succession plan is the situation around the sudden death of Andrei Trubnikov, the founder of the Natura Siberica cosmetics brand. About hereditary raiding, a paralyzed business process and colossal potential losses - see more in the Russia 24 report at the link.

We are convinced that unpleasant consequences and protracted litigation in the transfer of capital by inheritance can be avoided. Our specialists have been dealing with the issues of establishing a predictable inheritance order for more than 10 years.

Please contact us and we will be happy to help you.