Britain has granted access to the glamorous wife of Vladimir Putin’s ruthless deputy defense minister, a man closely linked to his barbaric aggression in Ukraine.
The stepson of the minister Timur Ivanov was supposed to be studying at a British university – safe from the conscription that has left tens of thousands of young Russians dead after being forced to fight.
Svetlana Maniovich – fond of posing half-naked in the Maldives – now lives a life of lavish luxury in France with clear access to Britain posing as the brutal defense chief’s “ex-wife”, but Russian opposition campaigners claim that their divorce was a ruse to avoid sanctions and for them to remain a couple.
They are demanding that she be sanctioned urgently by the West for claiming that her wealth is based on large-scale military corruption linked to Putin’s war.
At least once during the war she traveled to London by Eurostar to visit her son Mikhail, 19, who is studying at a university in England.
Svetlana Maniovich (pictured in France), who is married to Timur Ivanov, Vladimir Putin’s ruthless deputy defense minister, has been to the UK to visit her son
In the photo: Timur Ivanov, 47, and Svetlana Maniovich, 51, on a boat. Ivanov and Maniovich are also said to have kept a Rolls-Royce Corniche for their trips to the French Riviera
This suggests she was in possession of a British visa or residence permit permitting entry, despite her known close personal and financial ties to the sanctioned Ivanov, 47, deputy and close aide to Putin’s defense minister Sergei Shoigu.
The stepson who has been on winter sports with Ivanov and seen with him at social events in Moscow indicates that he is studying business management at Oxford Brookes University.
Her Eurostar trip came before the couple’s “sham” divorce in August 2022.
Svetlana’s ostentatious display of luxury has become notorious in Europe, highlighted by the FBK investigative team of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Putin’s most prominent political enemy.
They are organizing a protest outside her home in Paris tomorrow, demanding measures “to punish their families, freeze their assets and kick them out of Europe.”
FBK provided evidence from a leaked email collection from its Eurostar trip to London on March 23 last year, a night when Kiev was shelled by Ivanov’s forces.
The ex-TV star, 51, rents expensive villas in St Tropez and prefers to travel in a Rolls-Royce.
Videos from Navalny’s team reveal the couple’s affluent lifestyle.
The 51-year-old now lives a life of lavish luxury in France with clear access to Britain posing as the brutal defense chief’s ‘ex-wife’
In the photo: Svetlana Maniovich on board a boat. Maniovich’s family spent €850,000 on villa rentals in St Tropez and €250,000 on yachts between 2013 and 2018, according to her emails
In the photo: Svetlana Maniovich paddling in the sea. The Anti-Corruption Foundation said the socialite’s “preemptive” divorce from Ivanov last summer allowed her to circumvent EU sanctions later imposed on her husband. Leaked emails suggest there was no actual divorce
Pictured: Russian President Vladimir Putin accompanied by Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov and Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church (file photo)
Her plans for a VIP yacht in Italy led to her being hailed as “an invaluable customer who is very important to the Italian economy.”
Navalny’s team says she and her husband – seen as one of Putin’s wealthiest ministers – have undergone an “easy divorce” to allow the couple to evade sanctions.
“We couldn’t find any evidence of the reality of the split between [Svetlana] and Ivanov,” the team said.
“On the contrary – shortly before the divorce [Svetlana] changed her name to Ivanova [the female version of his surname].’
Navalny assistant Maria Pevchikh posted: “This is Svetlana Maniovich.
‘She is your guide to the world of extreme Russian glamour.
She radiates wealth. Diamonds, furs, Rolls Royces – she’s got it all and more.
‘In the summer you can find her in St Tropez renting a villa for 150,000 euros/month, or on a yacht in Naples…’She likes shopping. Unfortunately, Moscow does not meet her fashion needs, so she has to travel to Paris.
“She gets personal appointments at one of the most expensive and discreet jewelry stores. Here she has earrings worth 150,000 euros and rings worth 104,000 euros made for her. ‘Isn’t it beautiful? Well, not quite. Svetlana Maniovich is the wife of Russia’s Deputy Defense Minister.
“The person responsible for invading Ukraine and killing thousands of innocent people.
“His name is Timur Ivanov.”
Pictured: Svetlana Maniovich poses next to some octopuses at a coastal resort
In the photo: Svetlana Maniovich sunbathing. The Anti-Corruption Foundation is pushing for a travel ban on Maniovich in the European Union over Ivanov’s role in the Ukraine conflict
A video shows Maniovich partying in Courchevel three weeks ago – 13 months into the war with FBK, claiming she has no independent source of income other than Ivanov.
“She is in the heart of Europe, wearing her diamonds and furs. How did a war criminal’s wife sneak into France? Let me tell you.” There wasn’t much stealth involved. As insane as it sounds, she is allowed to come to the EU and walk up and down the Champs-Élysées to spend the money her husband made by bombing apartment buildings, murdering children and beheading soldiers in Ukraine. ‘She has none. other money.
“She’s a woman of leisure and needs sponsorship.”
Her ex-husband shared how she needed at least $50,000 a month in pocket money.
A Dolce&Gabbana dress costs €59,500.
Ivanov is accused by Putin of rebuilding the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which was destroyed by the Russian army and is the scene of multiple alleged war crimes.
“We at the Anti-Corruption Foundation are ready to resubmit piles of documents and evidence,” she said, demanding sanctions against Maniovich.
“I am willing to speak, meet or testify in court – whatever it takes to get the legal process started. ‘
In addition to Mikhail, the couple shares two daughters – Praskovya, born in 2018, and Darya, born in 2010.