Meet Dasha Zhukova, Russian socialite, art guru and Roman Abramovich’s ex: she’s pals with Ivanka Trump and Oprah Winfrey and has worked in fashion, magazines and property

Apr 25, 2022

Dasha Zhukova is a Russian socialite, art lover, multi-hyphenate and ex-wife of billionaire Roman Abramovich, who moved to the US at a young age. Photo: @dasha/Twitter

The ex-wife of Russian oligarch billionaire Abramovich is popular in New York and London, and once ran Pop magazine, which has featured Bella and Gigi Hadid

She attended Donald Trump’s inauguration with Ivanka and when she married Stavros Niarchos, her wedding guest list included Princess Beatrice and Stella McCartney

As the ex-wife to one of Russia’s richest men, billionaire Roman Abramovich, Dasha Zhukova is no stranger to the luxury lifestyle. The 40-year-old art collector and mother of three (one with her new husband, Stavros Niarchos, two with her former) enjoys a lavish routine as a socialite and magazine editor among New York’s elite.

Here’s what to know about her, from her condemnation of the invasion of Ukraine and famous friends from Victoria Beckham to Oprah Winfrey …

Raised in Russia and the US

Dasha is the daughter of Russian businessman Alexander Zhukov. Photo: luxurylaunches.com

Born Daria (Dasha is a nickname) to oil magnate Alexander Zhukov and Elena, a molecular biologist, on June 8, 1981, Zhukova grew up in Moscow. Her parents separated when she was three, and when she turned 10, she relocated to the United States with her mother.

Things took an unexpected turn for preteen Zhukova as she began living in Houston and then Los Angeles. She told The Guardian, “It was a culture shock. I had never seen cereal before! We had cottage cheese and pancakes in Russia, not colourful circles that came in cardboard boxes.”

In the US, Dasha went to Hebrew university. She graduated with degrees in Slavic studies and literature from the University of California, Santa Barbara (not art, surprisingly).

Becoming Mrs Abramovich

Dasha Zhukova and Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich were married for a decade before their divorce in 2019, which was reportedly an amicable one. Photo: AP

Zhukova is a name to be reckoned with in the art world as well as in New York City and London’s social circuits. She was married to Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich for a decade, which catapulted her to worldwide fame.

Before that, the power couple managed to keep their nuptials a secret for almost six years since they first met at a new year’s party organised by Zhukova’s father in 2005. They wed in 2008 and had two children together, then divorced in 2019 on reportedly good terms. The split, however, became the talk of the town. Not because of dirty linen being washed in public – the hoopla was over the transfer of US$92.3 million in New York properties.