Lovely, loaded and lonely - the misery of the elite Moscow wives

MOSCOW - A novel that depicts Russian oligarchs ruthlessly trading in their wives like unwanted cars, written by a bona fide oligarch's wife, is being snapped up by readers fascinated by the lives of Russia's super-rich.

A Marriage Contract offers a depressing glimpse into the gilded world of a group of fabulously wealthy Russians who have come to be known as the "Rublevka set". Rublevka is the name of an ultra-exclusive avenue in Moscow's western suburbs where many of Russia's political and business elite live in heavily guarded mansions.

The book's author, Tatyana Ogorodnikova, is herself a paid-up member of the Rublevka set, although her marriage to a wealthy businessman is said to be stable, unlike those in her semi-fictional book. Despite that, she says, she has a marriage contract with her husband, "just in case", and advises her readers to do the same.

Ogorodnikova is not the first oligarch's wife to reveal what goes on in many a gilded Moscow cage. Oksana Robsky, a Rublevka resident whose second husband was gunned down in a contract killing, has written several "kiss and tell" bestsellers.

Ogorodnikova says her book is a "manual" for girls hoping to snag an oligarch and live happily ever after. Many of her heroines, said to be based on friends and acquaintances, achieve their first ambition but not the second. Instead, they find themselves cheated on by their husbands before being dumped for younger women, cast aside with miserly divorce settlements and the responsibility of the children.

"One Rublevka woman really loved her oligarch husband," she writes. "They lived together for 15 years, and then he threw her and their three children out on the streets."

According to Ogorodnikova's book, tolerating infidelity is part of being married to an oligarch, with many men maintaining multiple mistresses and ordering glamorous prostitutes like takeaway pizza.

Russian TV is packed with documentaries offering viewers a glimpse into the lives of the rich and famous. One reality show gave viewers tips on how to live like an oligarch's wife - such as dyeing your poodle to match your designer handbag.

- INDEPENDENT