The Moscow City Court upheld a lower court's decision and denied… (уткин · суд · наследство)
The Moscow City Court upheld a lower court's decision and denied Ukrainian woman Anna Kovalenko's claim to be the heir of Dmitry Utkin, co-founder of the Wagner PMC, despite her assertion of being his biological daughter from an extramarital relationship in the early 1990s. The court found insufficient evidence of paternity or financial support.
Consensus
- Anna Kovalenko, a 32-year-old Ukrainian woman, claimed to be the biological daughter of Dmitry Utkin, co-founder of the Wagner PMC.
- Utkin died in an aviation disaster in 2023.
- Kovalenko initiated legal proceedings to establish paternity and claim inheritance rights.
- The Moscow City Court upheld the first-instance court's decision and rejected her claim.
- The court found that Utkin did not formally recognize Kovalenko as his daughter during his lifetime.
- There was no convincing evidence that Utkin financially supported or participated in raising Kovalenko.
- Kovalenko submitted photographs, letters, witness statements, and notarized declarations from relatives as proof.
- The court ruled that inheritance could only be transferred to individuals legally recognized as heirs or named in a will.
Points of divergence
- Utkin's mother considered Kovalenko her granddaughter and attempted to transfer her own share of the estate to her, but the court rejected this action. — riamo
- The court ruled that the refusal of inheritance by Utkin’s mother was invalid because it could only be transferred to someone already recognized as an heir. — tg_mash
Coverage (2 sources)
- Court Refuses to Recognize Ukrainian Woman as Heir to Co-founder of Wagner PMC Utkin — РИАМО
- Unacknowledged Ukrainian daughter of co-founder of Wagner PMC Dmitry Utkin left without inheritance in Russia. Moscow Regional Court refused... — Mash