A Russian oil tycoon is facing possible jail time after a High Court judge in London ruled Wednesday that he is in contempt of court for repeatedly failing to comply with legal orders in a highly

contentious, multi-million dollar divorce.

Mikhail Kroupeev, non-executive chairman of energy firm Gulfsands, was found to have deliberately disobeyed court rulings issued following the collapse of his 36-year marriage to Elena Kroupeeva. Judge Richard Harrison said Kroupeev had failed to cooperate with multiple court orders, including those relating to financial disclosure and payment of legal fees.

According to Kroupeeva’s legal team, the marriage ended in dramatic fashion after she discovered in 2023 that Kroupeev had maintained a secret second family in Russia for nearly two decades. She launched proceedings for a financial settlement in July 2024.

The court had ordered Kroupeev to pay over £195,000 (approximately $262,600) toward her legal fees, but her lawyers said he not only failed to make the payment but also ignored demands to disclose the full extent of his wealth, which they estimate could be in the hundreds of millions of pounds. They argued that imprisonment was the only sanction likely to compel his compliance.

Kroupeev, who appeared at the hearing via video link from Cyprus, could now face a jail sentence of up to two years. The judge postponed sentencing until next Wednesday.

Both Kroupeev and Kroupeeva are Russian nationals who obtained British citizenship after moving to the UK in 1993. The couple's lifestyle was described as lavish, with assets including a £15 million London residence, luxury properties in Portugal and Turkey, and £10 million worth of real estate in Russia. They were known to travel by private jet to accommodate their pet dogs.

Justin Warshaw, representing Kroupeeva, said his client is owed more than £837,000 and revealed that a freezing order had been placed on £38 million of Kroupeev’s assets.

In response, Kroupeev’s lawyer Michael Glaser said his client denied the allegations about their personal life and expressed regret for not fulfilling the court's orders, claiming the freezing order prevented him from doing so. Glaser rejected any suggestion that Kroupeev had treated the proceedings lightly.

"This is not a game," he told the court. "The liberty of my client is at stake." Photo by Bjørn Erik Pedersen, Wikimedia commons.