Rupert Murdoch's new Russian fiancée ties him to a sprawling web of money — with some surprising connections

Rupert Murdoch's (left) fiancée, Elena Zhukova was once the mother-in-law of Russian oligarch, Roman Abramovich (right). Zhukova's daughter, Dasha, was married to Abramovich from 2008 to 2017.

Victoria Jones/PA Images via Getty Images; Ozan Kose/AFP via Getty Images

• Rupert Murdoch is getting married for the fifth time, and with this union comes some interesting ties.
• Elena Zhukova was once married to Alexander Radkin Zhukov, a  Russian oligarch.
• Her daughter, Dasha, was married to Roman Abramovich from 2008 to 2017. 

Rupert Murdoch, 92, is engaged again.

For his fiancée Elena Zhukova, 67, the engagement stands to add another page to a storied family history and sprawling ties to wealth and power. And with this union comes some new, shared history between Murdoch and a couple of Russian oligarchs, one of whom is thought to be a confidant to Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Murdoch announced his engagement to Zhukova on Thursday. The engagement comes around six months after Murdoch announced his retirement.

This marriage will be Murdoch's fifth, and Zhukova's third. The pair met through Murdoch's third wife, Wendi Deng, The Daily Mail reported in August.

Zhukova was previously married to a Russian oligarch, Alexander Radkin Zhukov. In 2001, Zhukov was detained in Italy and spent six months in jail on accusations that he worked with the Russian mafia to smuggle massive caches of arms, per The Guardian. He denied the charges of arms dealing and has not served prison time for them.

Zhukov now lives in London, where he has obtained British citizenship, per The Times.

Zhukov (center) and his daughter with Elena, Dasha (right). Zhukov was attending a party hosted by Artsy CEO Carter Cleveland, Wendi Deng (left), and Dasha.

Daniele Venturelli/WireImage via Getty Images

Zhukova shares a daughter with Zhukov, Dasha. Like her mother, Dasha was once married to a Russian oligarch. The art collector and socialite was married to Roman Abramovich from 2008 to 2017. They have two children together.

Abramovich has been closely linked to Putin, and is regarded as the Russian leader's backchannel to the West. The billionaire served as an envoy in peace talks between Russia and Ukraine weeks after the invasion began in February 2022.

Before the Ukraine war, Abramovich owned a vast luxury empire, which included private jets and the superyacht Eclipse. He also owned the Premier League soccer team, Chelsea Football Club, which he quickly sold after the war began.

Abramovich (left) is widely regarded as Putin's (right) backchannel to the West.

Mikhail Svetlov via Getty Images

However, Abramovich's close ties with Putin meant he was the subject of sanctions by the European Union and the UK. US officials seized two of Abramovich's private jets in June 2022 after a federal judge in New York said the planes had violated export restrictions.

The billionaire links don't stop there.

Dasha Zhukova is now married to Stavros Niarchos, the grandson of a Greek shipping tycoon. They wed in 2020 at a star-studded wedding in Switzerland and have a son together.

Dasha Zhukova married Stavros Niarchos in January 2020. The couple share a son.

Lexie Moreland/WWD/Penske Media via Getty Images

Murdoch had a seven-decade career, including founding News Corp. He stepped down as chairman of the company in late 2023.

During a News Corp earnings call in 2008, Murdoch said the company was selling its stake in an outdoor advertising company in Russia because he didn't want to do business there.

"The more I read about investments in Russia, the less I like the feel of it. The more successful we'd be, the more vulnerable we'd be to have it stolen from us, so there we sell now," Murdoch said then.

Representatives for Murdoch did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.

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