Under Soviet law at the time, private inheritance was tricky. The state claimed a significant chunk of an estate, and the bureaucratic hurdles to move money out of the U.S. and into the USSR were nearly insurmountable. Initially, the Soviet Consulate attempted to claim the funds on behalf of Kirillin’s family back in Moscow. But American banks refused to release the assets without a court order. The USSR argued that diplomatic immunity or consular notification should suffice.
When Kirillin passed away unexpectedly in 1978, he left behind a modest American bank account, a few personal effects, and a very big question: Who gets the money? first of a soviet citizen to undergo probate
Fast forward to today, and this precedent is suddenly relevant again. With the recent freezing of Russian oligarch assets following sanctions over Ukraine, the question of "probate for Russian nationals" has returned. If a sanctioned Russian billionaire dies while living in London or New York, their heirs will face the exact same wall Kirillin’s family did in 1978—except now, the stakes are in the billions, not thousands. Under Soviet law at the time, private inheritance was tricky