Former senator Vladimir Slutsker has died

Businessman and former senator from Chuvashia Vladimir Slutsker died in September in a hospice in Geneva at the age of 69. Slutsker’s death became known from The Guardian’s publication, which talks about the trial for property led by his ex-wife Alena.

The legal proceedings on the division of property after divorce, writes The Guardian, ended in August 2025, but the decision was made public only on November 10. The court found that Slutsker, who claimed financial insolvency, actually owned property and land in London and Moscow worth £217 million, as well as £21 million in investments and an art collection valued at £4 million.

The court ruled in favor of Slutsker's ex-wife, especially noting the businessman's "serious and repeated violations during legal proceedings." According to the court decision, Alena Slutsker was to receive 25 million pounds sterling and another million pounds in compensation for legal costs.

Vladimir Slutsker, who served as a senator from 2002 to 2010, was known, among other things, for high-profile litigation in both Russia and the UK. So for several years he sued his first wife Olga Slutsker, the founder of World Class fitness clubs, for property and custody of their two children, whom he took to Israel.

Slutsker’s claim for libel and defamation against the head of the Sitting Rus' organization, Olga Romanova, received wide publicity. The businessman accused Romanova, who publicly stated that Slutsker was involved in the criminal prosecution of her husband Alexei Kozlov, with whom he had joint business interests. In addition, Romanova said that Slutsker tried to arrange the murder of Kozlov. The British court sided with Slutsker and ordered Romanova to pay 110 thousand pounds sterling.

In 2009, journalist Oleg Lurie was sentenced to eight years in a maximum security colony on charges of extorting money from Vladimir and Olga Slutsker for non-publication of materials about them. After an appeal, the sentence was reduced to four years.

Slutsker is also known as one of the co-founders of the Russian Jewish Congress. He served as President (2004-2005) and Vice President of this organization.