First Soviet Citizen Will Probated In The United States May 2026

The probate hearing is scheduled for August 10, 2026. Legal experts predict the case will likely reach the Delaware Supreme Court, and possibly the U.S. Supreme Court, on the question of whether a non-existent state can be a party to a probate dispute.

The decedent, identified as , a naturalized U.S. citizen who emigrated from Minsk in 1992, passed away last month at her home in Greenville, Delaware. Her Last Will and Testament, signed in 2021, has triggered a complex, multi-jurisdictional process that legal scholars say will test the limits of international estate law. first soviet citizen will probated in the united states

According to court filings, the estate is valued at approximately $4.2 million, consisting primarily of real estate in Delaware, a collection of Soviet-era art, and a bank account in Cyprus. The Will names two primary beneficiaries: her son, Dmitri Volkov of Brooklyn, New York, and a charitable foundation supporting Russian-language poets. The probate hearing is scheduled for August 10, 2026