ABSTRACT
For the last decade the infamous Elena Baturina, one of the world’s richest women (reportedly worth US$3.1 billion [“The World’s Billionaires”]), has played a decisive role in changing the face of post-Soviet Moscow. Sole owner and president of the Moscow-based construction monopoly Inteko and wife of Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, Baturina enjoys not only a privileged role in the capital’s recent urban development, but also relentless media attention owing to the many scandals surrounding her business dealings. As one of Moscow’s most hated public figures, Baturina continues to attract the press, but has yet to be examined analytically within the framework of Russia’s current boom in glamorous celebrities.
