russian billionaire Yuri Shefler is at the center of brad pitt and Angelina Jolieof the legal battle of their French succession, just as the oligarchs of his native country face sanctions due to the war against ukraine.

The former Hollywood couple acquired a majority stake in Chateau Miraval in 2008 “as a home to share with their children and the vineyard as a family business,” says Pitt’s complaint obtained by Fox Business.

In one complaint filed last month, Pitt claims that he and Jolie “agreed that they would never sell their respective interests to Miraval without the consent of the other.” However, the ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ actor claims Jolie broke that promise by selling her stake to Shefler.

Jolie used her social media reach last week to share a statement on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in her capacity as a special envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

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“Like many of you, I pray for Ukrainians,” Jolie said. said in the statement. “My goal, along with my fellow @refugees, is that everything is done to ensure the protection and fundamental human rights of displaced people and refugees in the region.”

“We have already seen reports of casualties and people starting to flee their homes in search of safety. It is too early to know what will happen, but the importance of this moment – for the Ukrainian people and for the international rule of law – cannot be overemphasized.”

Meanwhile, Shefler is known to fly under the radar despite being a key player in world famous brands. Read more about Jolie’s mystery shopper below.

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1. He was born and educated in Russia

The tycoon’s birthplace was Orel, Russia, according to reports.

Yuri Shefler is from Russia, where he also studied. (Background)

Shefler also reportedly earned a bachelor’s degree from Russia’s Plekhanov University of Economics, a public research university in Moscow.

2. He is the owner of the SPI group, known for Stolichnaya vodka

The Russian-born tycoon is the owner of the SPI Group, which was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Luxembourg. The company operates in over 170 markets and produces, sells and distributes over 380 brands.

According to its website, the main company of the SPI group is the Stoli group, known for Stolichnaya vodka.

Stoli Group says it denounces Russian aggression on its website.

Customers browse the shelves of beers, wines and spirits as bottles of Stolichnaya vodka, made by SPI Group, are displayed at a Perekrestok supermarket, operated by X5 Retail Group, in Moscow, Russia, in 2015. (Andrei Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“The safety and security of our Ukrainian team is our top priority. We are monitoring the situation closely and are already acting quickly and decisively to provide support if needed, both to our staff on the ground as well as to our partners,” noted Damian McKinney, Global CEO. “Although we don’t have any operations in Russia, we do in Ukraine and many bordering countries.”

BOYCOTT OF RUSSIAN VODKA? MANY POPULAR BRANDS ARE PRODUCED ELSEWHERE

Despite the company’s statement, bars, liquor stores and even government officials are turning their backs on Russian-branded and made-in-Russia products – primarily vodka – in retaliation for The Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Over the past week, the boycott against vodka has grown. In an effort to support Ukraine, Total Wine and More, which operates 229 stores in 27 states, announced on social media that it was “removing all Russian-made products from our shelves.”

Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox issued an executive order directing the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to “immediately remove all Russian-made and Russian-branded products from its shelves.” He said in a statement that the state “will not support Russian companies, regardless of the size of the exchange.”

Stolichnaya vodka is made and bottled in Riga, Latvia. (iStock/iStock)

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu also signed an executive order requiring liquor outlets in the state to remove Russian-branded and Russian-made liquor, and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has ordered the state commerce department to stop buying and selling Russian Standard, the only Russian vodka sold. in Ohio.

Over the weekend, Texas Governor Greg Abbott told his Twitter followers that he “has asked members of the Texas Restaurant Association, the Texas Package Stores Association, and all retailers in Texas to voluntarily remove all Russian products from their shelves.”

3. He’s a billionaire

Forbes lists the net worth of Shefler, 54, at around $2.4 billion.

The $19.3million home of Stolichnaya vodka tycoon Yuri Shefler in Surrey in 2008. (Invicta Kent Media/Shutterstock)

In March 2022, Shefler was listed as the 1205th richest billionaire in the world.

A sprawling mansion he owns in Surrey is said to be worth $19.3million.

4. He is married to the Victoria’s Secret model

Tatiana Kovylina at the 10th Annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show – Runway at New York State Armory in New York City, New York, United States. (KMazur/WireImage for full image/Getty Images)

Shefler is married to Russian Victoria’s Secret model Tatiana Kovylina, 40. She is the founder of London-based luxury sportswear brand, Silou.

According to reports, Kovylina and Shefler have four children together.

The model opened with the Russian-Ukrainian crisis in a Instagram post this week.

“There isn’t a single logical, comprehensible, or rational explanation for what’s happening now…Except ‘someone’ wanted it that way. And it’s a fucking nightmare!” its caption, translated, reads in part.

Tatiana Kovylina and Yuri Shefler would share four children. (KMazur/WireImage for full image/Getty Images)

5. Shefler, along with his brand of vodka, was exiled from Russia

Russia’s Supreme Court declared Shefler’s purchase of the Stoli brand illegal in 2001, meaning Shefler was banned from selling the vodka in his native country, according to reports.

Yuri Shefler apparently does business with Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt retrial says. (Background)

Stoli’s website says Shefler and the vodka brand were exiled from Russia nearly two decades ago.

“As the founder of the SPI group of companies, I have personally been persecuted by the Russian authorities and I share the pain of Ukraine and its people,” Shefler said in a statement.