Nikita Dzhigurda’s close friend Lyudmila Bratash passed away more than two years ago. On the ill-fated day, February 15, Lyudmila Bratash’s security guard and driver found her dead in her apartment. There were empty wine bottles around - Bratash had problems with alcohol in the last years of her life. Doctors named the official cause of death as a severed blood clot. At the time of her death, the businesswoman was 56 years old.

The businesswoman bequeathed the entire inheritance, consisting of luxury real estate in the capital and France and bank accounts, to the family of Nikita Dzhigurda. Dzhigurda, in turn, suspected that Lyudmila’s death was not accidental, and Bratash’s sister Svetlana Romanova was directly related to this. However, for a long time, the words of the outrageous actor remained his assumption. Now Nikita Borisovich has proof in his hands that Bratash became the victim of an attacker.

“The position of the victim and the attacker at the time of the blow could have been any convenient for their infliction. Bratash Lyudmila Jonathanovna, 56 years old. Death occurred from a traumatic brain injury, accompanied by fractures of the bones of the base of the skull,” the death report noted.

“Based on the nature of Lyudmila Bratash’s injuries, which consist of bruises on the face, hematomas on the temple, lacerations and bruises, hard bruises in the chest area and other parts of the body; this indicates that her death could only have been of a criminal, violent nature,” added the lawyer in Channel Five’s “Gossip Chronicle” program.

Despite this, a criminal case has not yet been opened, and Dzhigurda is extremely surprised why this happened. According to Nikita Borisovich, the day before the death of Lyudmila Bratash, her driver Oleg Kuronov came to her with his wife and other people. At the same time, Bratash was always afraid of Kuronov and even wrote a statement against him to the police several times. The man is protected by Svetlana Romanova, who, according to Dzhigurda, is also interested in receiving a multimillion-dollar inheritance from her relative.

Let us remind you that the outrageous actor has very little left to receive his inheritance. The actor already knows what he will do after this. He will not just organize a holiday, but will remarry his ex-wife Marina Anisina, whom he divorced two years ago after eight years of marriage. Apparently, the difficult situation has brought the couple together, and harmony and mutual understanding reign again in their personal lives.

“Our wedding with Marina will be the apotheosis of victory in this difficult matter. We plan to hold the celebration at the end of November, perhaps closer to the New Year. Everything will depend on how the courts end and when we receive the inheritance,” Nikita told StarHit about a month and a half ago.

The ex-assistant of the late businesswoman Lyudmila Bratash told Komsomolskaya Pravda about the relationship between the lonely owner of a VIP air transportation company and the married showman

Photo: Mikhail FROLOV

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“KP” continues to deal with the detective story concerning the inheritance of Nikita Dzhigurda. Let us remind you: the artist presented a will, according to which the lonely rich businesswoman, former owner of the VIP air transportation company El Air, Lyudmila Bratash, leaves all her property to him and his wife, figure skater Marina Anisina.

According to Anisina’s lawyer, the amount of the inheritance is one billion rubles. But Bratash’s acquaintances assure us: we are talking about an amount 3-4 times less. Be that as it may, the will is being challenged in court by the deceased’s sister Svetlana.

There really are a lot of questions about the document.

“There wasn’t even a visa”

“I worked in Lyudmila’s company from 1996 to 2010 inclusive,” ex-El Air employee Irina Egorova told Komsomolskaya Pravda. - The will that Dzhigurda shows was drawn up in the USA in 2010. But I can declare with full responsibility: Lyudmila Bratash did not fly to America in 2010. At that time she did not have a visa.

- Why are you so sure of this?

Because I was organizing all her flights - booking hotels, buying tickets, and so on. Lyudmila did not do this work herself - the office did it. And for the last couple of years of the company’s existence (until 2010 - Ed.), only me and the accountant remained in the office.

Until 2003, she flew to America only on state visits, together with Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev. At first, she organized flights for him on a Boeing, which she took from the Swiss. Then Aliyev flew several times a year to treat his heart condition at a clinic in Cleveland. Lyudmila organized flights for him and often accompanied him - she was friends with him. But I never flew to America on my own. After Aliyev's death in 2003, she stopped visiting the United States. Therefore, I couldn’t be there with Dzhigurda either.

Lyudmila Bratash's sister Svetlana asked me to speak in court regarding the will - I agreed.

“I signed blank forms”

Irina Egorova also questioned Lyudmila’s notes, in which she calls her sister a thief and asks to protect her from the driver.

This is not her handwriting, assures Irina Egorova. - Because I worked with her for many years, I know how she wrote. The signature on the will that Dzhigurda shows is similar to Lyudina. But it's not difficult to fake it. And we forged it in the office - on some minor papers. She allowed us to do this because she often went on a drinking binge, but she understood: the company must work uninterruptedly.

Sometimes she signed blank forms - on the sheet with her company's header. We had such sheets in our office and at her home. By the way, Dzhigurda presented the will on the company’s letterhead. I believe the will is a forgery.

Business cards in shoe boxes

“I don’t like that now the name of Lyudmila Bratash is put on a par with the name of Dzhigurda,” continues Irina Egorova. - She really was the founder of VIP air transportation in Russia. Her company's clients included Alisher Usmanov, Roman Abramovich, Boris Berezovsky, large banks, and oil workers. Lyudmila personally communicated with them. The entire top twenty Russian billionaires at Forbes are her former clients.

- Did you see Dzhigurda near Bratash?

Lyudmila talked a lot in the office about Dzhigurda as a regular participant in her parties. But she said that he was a clown, a fool. Lyudmila was a lonely woman, bored, rich. She often threw parties. Dzhigurda attended them to amuse the audience. She put up with him for Anisina's sake. I know that they asked Lyudmila for money and she gave it to them. But sometimes she refused. I remember Lyuda saying: “Dzhigurda is completely stunned - he’s asking me for money for the Maidan.”

- How did Bratash meet Anisina?

They met at some parties. And actress Elena Kondulainen introduced Luda to Dzhigurda. Lyudmila had very serious connections at different levels. She often asked me: sort out the business cards. She had so many business cards from people that I just put them in shoe boxes! People have something to do with aviation, this is something... You can’t imagine how many people she knew - those in power, the security forces, and the stars. Some think that she had a personal connection with the driver or with Dzhigurda. This couldn't happen. These men are simply not on her level.

BY THE WAY

There was no murder

The prosecutor's office completed the pre-investigation investigation into the death of Lyudmila Bratash and came to the conclusion that death occurred naturally (injury due to a fall). The initiation of a criminal case based on Dzhigurda’s application was refused. However, the artist did not agree with the conclusion that it was a natural death and wrote statements to the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Investigative Committee. A re-inspection has been scheduled.

OTHER OPINION

Inheritance - at least a billion rubles

After listening to the story of a former employee of the Bratash company, Irina Egorova, we decided to give the floor to the other side.

Lyudmila flew to America in 2010 and made a will there, says Marina Anisina. - And the will is genuine, certified by a US notary. I have no doubt that we will win the trial.

For a detailed comment, Anisina sent us to her lawyer Andrei Knyazev.

An employee of the Bratash company claims that Lyudmila did not fly to America in 2010. And he believes that the will is a fake.

We do not agree with this statement. There is evidence - both witness testimony and documents - that Lyudmila Bratash traveled to the United States and that she made a will there. We will submit all papers to the court.

By the way, Lyudmila Bratash’s company “El Air” was registered in New York. As far as I know, the deceased still has an apartment in New York. Lyudmila Bratash's sister is trying to challenge the will for obvious reasons - because she wants to receive an inheritance. But so far I have not seen evidence from the other side that the will is invalid.

- How much is the inherited property valued at?

At least a billion rubles. But the issue, in general, is not about money. Lyudmila Bratash, when she made her will, left everything to the children of Nikita and Marina (one of them is her godson). And Nikita has already stated that he wants to use this money for charity - to help children. That is, the goals are good.

AND AT THIS TIME

The showman was suspected of theft

As former Bratash driver Dmitry Kuronov told Komsomolskaya Pravda, he provided the police with information indicating that Dzhigurda withdrew money through an ATM from Lyudmila’s bank cards.

On New Year's holidays, the safe in Bratash's apartment was robbed: 250 thousand euros and jewelry worth 600 thousand euros were missing, says Dmitry Kuronov. - On January 1, Dzhigurda took Lyudmila with him from her house. Later we found her in a clinic near Moscow: Lyudmila was being treated for alcohol abuse.

When she came to her senses after the binge, she began to conduct her own investigation. She requested bank statements and found out that on January 2, almost 500 thousand rubles were withdrawn from three of her cards. Video surveillance cameras near ATMs recorded that Dzhigurda and his driver were withdrawing money.

Lyudmila called Dzhigurda and asked why he withdrew money without her knowledge. He replied that he paid for her treatment at the clinic. But the treatment at the clinic did not cost 500 thousand, continues Dmitry Kuronov. - PIN codes for bank cards were kept in a safe. So, Dzhigurda opened the safe once he learned the codes? But in addition to the codes, money and jewelry were missing! Lyudmila gave me the data from her investigation shortly before her death. And I provided information to the police. An investigation is currently underway.

The police confirmed to us in an informal conversation that the check was indeed being carried out.

A criminal case will be opened in the near future regarding the theft, a police source told KP. - The first suspect in this case will be Nikita Dzhigurda. During the pre-investigation check, we called him for an explanation, but he did not come.

- Dzhigurda left for America.

If he does not appear to testify of his own free will, a decision will be made to arrest him in absentia. And if there is evidence, he will be subject to criminal liability. And if a person is found guilty of theft, he will not see an inheritance. Moreover, the assumption arises: was the will made after the fact to hide the theft? Like, if he’s an heir, he wouldn’t steal from himself? This is probably the question the investigation will ask.

CALLING YOUR SISTER

Handwriting samples were given to the police

We reached out to the businesswoman’s sister, Svetlana.

“I’m going to file an application against Dzhigurda regarding the will,” she said. - There is a trial going on, I don’t recognize the will.

- There is an opinion that Bratash’s notes were not written by her...

1. The will is executed on the letterhead of the airline, which was owned by the businesswoman. According to colleagues, Lyudmila often signed blank forms so that work would not be delayed if she was not there.

2. Cliché imprinting is a common practice for notaries in the United States.

3. The signature of Lyudmila Bratash does not convince Dzhigurda’s opponents. They say that an autograph can be easily forged.

INDEPENDENT EXPERT'S VIEW

It is also possible on a form

We asked our questions about the will to an independent specialist, lawyer of the Moscow Bar Association Igor Putilov.

Igor Anatolyevich, did an American notary have the right to certify a will executed on the letterhead of a private company? In this case, airlines.

Yes. Theoretically, you can make a will on anything. It is important that the testator personally comes to the notary. In America, notaries are qualified people. If the form seemed dubious, the notary would reject it.

- The date on the red rectangular seal is 2012. And the will itself says 2010...

In this case, the seal indicates the validity period of the notary's license. Specifically - until 2012.

- On the document at the top left there is some kind of transparent seal, barely visible - what is it?

This is most likely a notary cliché. US notary forms have additional protection: when you put a metal cliche on the paper, you hit it and a mark is pressed through.

Overall, the document looks convincing, but the issue with it is not the simplest. It is likely that the will was drawn up in accordance with US standards and will be recognized as valid in relation to property located in America. The same applies to property in other countries (we don’t take Russia), if these countries have signed agreements with the United States on legal assistance and the form of this will does not contradict the requirements of their legislation.

As for the application of this will in Russia, the issue is controversial. Overall, this case is quite interesting, and I'm curious what the court will decide.

BY THE WAY

Dzhigurda's wife leaves him because he refused to be treated by psychiatrists

It looks like déjà vu, but it's really true. Nikita Dzhigurda is getting divorced. His wife Marina Anisina again filed documents for divorce in a Moscow court. In the winter of 2015, the 55-year-old showman and the 41-year-old figure skater did not complete the matter - after the artist promised to undergo treatment with a psychiatrist, the compassionate wife withdrew the application from the court. And now, a year and a half later, the situation repeated itself

Lyudmila Bratash, whose cause of death has become of interest to many, was born in 1960 in Minsk into a military family.

She spent her childhood next to the airfield where her father worked. This is probably why she dreamed of connecting her life with aviation for a long time.

Lyudmila received a degree in journalism and set off to conquer Moscow. At first she began to collaborate with Moskovsky Komsomolets, writing articles about music. She especially liked to write about the then popular group “Gorky Park”.

Then Bratash got a job at the press center of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and managed to connect her life with aviation. She even created her own company called Al Air, which specialized in air travel for VIP clients. The woman rented planes and organized exclusive service on board. It is known that she even sometimes baked pancakes for passengers' breakfasts herself. Bratash had connections with major oil magnates and oligarchs, including Boris Berezovsky.

Lyudmila's acquaintances spoke of her as a unique businesswoman, capable of earning a large income from each flight.

In the late 90s, she also started reselling real estate.

In Lyudmila’s personal life, not everything was smooth. She never married and had no children.
At one time there were rumors about her affair with a French pilot. However, Bratash is remembered as a beautiful and wealthy woman. In 1998, she met Nikita Dzhigurda, who starred in the film “Love in Russian” near Minsk. For many years Lyudmila maintained friendly relations with him. Even the wedding of Dzhigurda and Anisina took place in the Bratash country house. And in 2009, she became the godmother of their son.

Around the same time, Lyudmila began to abuse alcohol. Her airline was liquidated, and Dzhigurda accused the driver Bratash of embezzling her money. At the same time, Lyudmila’s sister Svetlana accused Dzhigurda of the same thing.

In 2010, Lyudmila made a will, according to which her entire fortune in the event of death goes to Nikita and his wife. It turned out that in this way she deprived her sister and nephews of their inheritance.

On the New Year holidays of 2016, Lyudmila was hospitalized with severe alcohol intoxication at the clinic. After returning home, she discovered that cash and securities had been stolen from her safe. On February 15 of the same year, the security guard and driver Bratash found her dead in the apartment with a broken head. Empty bottles were scattered around the apartment. The official cause of death was a detached blood clot. And she hit her head as a result of the fall.

Lyudmila's funeral was organized by Dzhigurda. Her grave is located at the Kolomenskoye cemetery. After the woman's death, a scandal began surrounding her will. A real hunt began for Nikita Dzhigurda, and Lyudmila’s relatives threatened him with cruel reprisals if he did not renounce the inheritance.

Recently it became known about the mysterious death of the once successful businesswoman 56-year-old Lyudmila Bratash. The owner of the private luxury air transportation company Al Aire was found in her 5-room apartment in the west of the capital. Bruises and abrasions were found on the businesswoman’s body.

The deceased was a close friend of Nikita Dzhigurda and Marina Anisina, and was the godmother of their eldest son.

Upon learning of the woman’s death, the actor made a loud statement, blaming her driver Dmitry for the death of Bratash. According to him, the 50-year-old man was going to fictitiously marry Lyudmila, tortured her, and injected her with drugs. Dzhigurda also claimed that all the money, jewelry and the will left in the name of his children disappeared from the businesswoman’s apartment.

MK decided to look into this story.

Lyudmila Bratash took the Russian elite to Courchevel and loved to relax there herself.

The body of Lyudmila Bratash was found on February 15 in an apartment in an elite residential complex in Ostrovny Proezd.

The lady’s personal driver, Dmitry, called the police - the man and the security guard came to check on the owner, since she had not been in touch for a while. Security opened the door with his key. Dead Bratash lay in the room surrounded by empty bottles of wine.

The local police officer explained that he was called to the place at 12.00 to examine the body. There was already a forensic expert in the apartment - he recorded an old abrasion on the chin and a head injury (typical of a fall from a height).

According to the expert's conclusions, Bratash suffered a blood clot. However, the final results of the causes of death will be announced in 30 days. But most likely, Bratash passed away on her own. The security guard confirmed that the woman had been drinking alcohol for more than a month, which could have affected her health.

Human rights activists managed to contact the driver, businesswoman Dmitry Kuronov, whom Nikita Dzhigurda hastened to accuse of almost murder.

In the interests of the investigation, I will not disclose information. One thing I will say is that the prosecutor and the court make the charges, but not Dzhigurda.

By the way, Dmitry is officially married and has two daughters. He has been working as a driver for more than 15 years. Neighbors speak positively of him. The only thing they remember is an episode a month ago when Dmitry, being extremely drunk, asked for a loan of 100 rubles. This surprised the residents, since previously they had not noticed the Muscovite being partial to Bacchus.

As the senior assistant to the head of the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia for Moscow told MK, a pre-investigation check is being carried out on this fact.

Who is Lyudmila Bratash? MK veterans remembered her: a long time ago, back in the 80s, Lyuda was published several times in our newspaper. She wrote about music, in particular about the group “Gorky Park”. And then she changed her life dramatically. First I went to the press center of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. But even then she was dreaming of the sky: her father, a retired military man, often took her with him to the airfield. And in the end, just a lady turned into a businesswoman, becoming a pioneer of VIP aviation.

“The specificity of our business is that we do not need to buy aircraft. It's expensive and pointless. It is necessary to rent cars from the owners and properly organize the flight system and service in the air. That’s all,” Bratash said in 2003 in an interview with Expert magazine. I remembered how I negotiated with gas stations during the fuel crisis, how I baked pancakes in my kitchen at night in order to be on time for the flight in the morning and deliver them for breakfast with caviar to my wealthy clients. However, by the time the interview was published, all this was already in the past: oil tycoons, bankers and politicians, and prime ministers flew on her planes. The owner of Al Air is the only woman in Russia who has succeeded in this exclusive business.

After that interview, we continued our communication with Lyudmila,” says one of the authors of the material, Mumin Shakirov. - The last time we met was three years ago in her luxurious apartment. She looked great. I didn't notice any changes. I wrote a book about self-made women. One of my heroines was Lyudmila. She was well known in business aviation; oligarchs and billionaires, with whom she was on first name terms, personally called her and asked her to organize a flight. Judge for yourself, she was the only one who managed to send flights without prepayment if the client did not have time to pay for the flight in advance. This shows that she was trusted.

Why doesn’t the Federal Air Transport Agency know anything about her airline?

She didn’t have her own fleet; she rented planes. Her main task is the ability to negotiate with clients, operators, and organize a flight. And she did it brilliantly.

We contacted other acquaintances of Bratash.

The last time I saw Lyudmila was 10-15 years ago,” recalls a friend of the deceased. “Then she found me on Facebook. We only communicated with her about stray dogs - Luda felt sorry for the animals. She said that she often visits Greece and invited her to go on vacation with her. One got the feeling that she was ready to invite anyone on the trip with her. Apparently she needed communication. She also said that she was friends with Marina Anisina. She complained that it was not so and could not give birth to a child. I got myself two dogs. There were rumors that she had an affair with some musician. There were many men around her, but her personal life never worked out.

And here’s what another friend of Lyudmila Bratash remembers.

On Friday, Lyudmila was buried at the Khavanskoye cemetery. Her close friends weren't even told about it. The funeral seemed to be handled by Dzhigurda and his wife. Marina Anisina did not call anyone or notify anyone of farewell. We don’t know whether Lyuda’s relatives from Belarus managed to arrive. After all, her sister and nephews live in Minsk, with whom Lyuda had a warm relationship.

How did she become friends with the Anisin-Dzhigurda couple?

Most likely, Lyudmila first met Anisina in Paris. Bratash lived there for some time. They became closer. Luda baptized one of the children of the star couple. They even went on vacation together. By the way, the wedding of Dzhigurda and Anisin took place at the luxurious Bratash hacienda. I wouldn't be surprised if it's at her expense. Then Lyudmila sold this hacienda and bought another. Some time ago, Bratash had a mini-stroke. For some reason Anisina took her to her home. Luda was not admitted to the hospital. Isn't it strange?

On the eve of the funeral, Nikita Dzhigurda blamed her driver for the death of the businesswoman...

Nikita decided to make himself a loud one, but this time it was very cheap and dishonest. With his assumptions, he insulted the man who was with Lyuda until the very end and pulled her out of various troubles.

What do you mean?

All of Lyuda’s acquaintances knew that she had been drinking heavily lately. While drunk, I couldn’t control myself, I couldn’t stand on my feet well, hence the bruises on my body. Only the driver could tolerate her drunken antics. Perhaps this man was the most devoted in her circle.

Bratash had an apartment in Paris and apartments in Moscow. Did men help her?

She bought everything for herself and an apartment in Paris. She never had rich sponsors. She herself is from Belarus, but she has developed very successfully here. Consider yourself lucky. Luda has never been married (in an interview with Expert, Bratash said that she was married for the second time to a French pilot - author's note). She has no children. Men deceived her, took advantage of her position, money, and then disappeared. In essence, she was a rich but unhappy woman.

How long has it been since you last talked to her?

I stopped communicating with her a year ago because I don’t like drunken promises.

How can an alcoholic run an airline?

Don't you know? There has been no company for a long time. Everything is sold. Lately there have been no men or work in her life. But once she organized private flights for deputies and oligarchs. Remember the noisy trips of our millionaires to Courchevel? So, basically, they flew there on its sides. Here is such a bright life and a terrible lonely death.

Lyudmila Bratash was killed. Dzhigurda blames her driver. PHOTO

The godmother of Nikita Dzhigurda's eldest son, Mika-Angela Krista, 56-year-old Lyudmila Bratash, was killed in her Moscow apartment.

A close friend of the family of Nikita Dzhigurda and Marina Anisina, 56-year-old Lyudmila Bratash, died tragically.

Bratash was a successful businesswoman, the owner of the luxury air transportation company Al Aire and the godmother of Dzhigurda’s eldest son Mick-Angela Christ.

The woman was found dead in her Moscow apartment in Krylatskoye. The investigation suggests murder for the purpose of robbery.

Traces of beatings were found on the body of Lyudmila Bratash - numerous bruises and abrasions. A large sum of money (about nine million dollars) and jewelry disappeared from the businesswoman’s apartment. The will also disappeared.

Lyudmila Bratash

According to Nikita Dzhigurda, he knows the name of the killer: Dmitry Kuronov, Lyudmila's driver, as well as her sister.

“She was killed on the night of February 15. She was a unique person. We wanted to start a joint project, but we couldn’t. I believe the driver killed her, who worked with her for 18 years. She trusted him very much, he had the keys to the safes. He had tortured and tormented her before. Marina and I saw her with bruises, but she never admitted that the driver Dmitry was doing it. He poisoned her. Last year she cut her sister out of her will and didn’t want to see her at all. An investigation is currently underway because there is no direct evidence. The driver and sister are in her apartment, and they have the opportunity to cover their tracks. Yesterday and today I held the funeral service for our close friend in the church,” Dzhigurda told reporters.

In another comment, Dzhigurda also adhered to the version voiced above: “She was killed by her own driver Dmitry Kuronov. Violent death - her skull was fractured. We knew that he was going to fictitiously marry her. He tortured her, injected her with drugs, but no one believed in this believed. Her sister was also involved in her death- She has neither children nor relatives anymore. Lyudmila called her a thief in front of the investigator. As far as I know, they killed her on the sly, and Marina and I found out everything only on New Year’s Eve and tried to cure her. “I showed her the statement that she wrote against him on January 12, asking him to protect her from her former driver, because he threatens her life,” the artist said.

“Everything that was most valuable was missing. Even the will. It stated that she leaves part of the inheritance to Anisina and me,” added Dzhigurda.

Nikita Dzhigurda with children

Dzhigurda and Anisina were very close with Lyudmila Bratash, they even went on vacation together.

Lyudmila Bratash was Mika-Angela Christa's godmother.

According to Dzhigurda, the children loved Lyudmila very much.