EXCLUSIVE: Stoli vodka chief who 'conspired' with Angelina Jolie revealed https://t.co/PR73JTKOxd pic.twitter.com/238i7F3bFe

— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) July 5, 2023

Just like the VF article, the DM article's click bait headline also touting an "Exclusive" seems to pay lip service to the claims in Brad's complaints.  But like the VF article, the actual exclusive info points to an entirely different objective -- a multi-pronged defense of Shefler against allegations that he is a Putin ally. 

This article repeatedly establishes that Shefler was targeted by Putin and both his former and current wife condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

Putin, as head of the FSB and prime minister, viewed him as an early target, seeking to repatriate famous name vodka trademarks to state hands, as they had been in Soviet times.

In 2000, with Putin now in the Kremlin, Shefler's company was taken over by the state's Accounts Chamber.

'This was the first case of open de-privatization,' Shefler told Forbes Russia in 2015.

'Even then it was quite obvious that if they came for me, they would be able to come for both oil [and metals tycoons].'

His case was an early example of Putin's murky way of operating.

Shefler was accused of making death threats against Vladimir Loginov, an Agriculture Ministry official who had been trusted with the vodka trademarks.

Shefler left Russia for Latvia before Putin's security forces had time to detain him, and initially operated his businesses from the Baltic state where he had production facilities.

While safely out of Russia – one of the first to escape from Putin's clampdown on business enemies – he was hit with in absentia legal action for organizing a gang, illegal use of trademarks and smuggling.

Shefler moved to Britain where he obtained a UK passport, while also securing Israeli citizenship.

He thrived and rose to billionaire status and became the owner of Serene, one of the longest and most expensive superyachts in the world, which was leased by Bill Gates for $5million a week.

In 2017 he purchased the most expensive hunting estate in Scotland – Tulchan – which has been valued at $32million (£25 million), and also keeps luxury homes in in Surrey, near London, at St. Jean Cap Ferrat in the south of France, and Jurmala, the Baltic beach resort close to the Latvian capital, Riga, and a favored bolt hole for Russians.

The Surrey home in Weybridge, is a seven-bedroom, eight-bathroom mansion, say reports.

... Later he moved in with model Tatiana Kovylina, now 41, the mother of four of his children. ....

She has relatives from Luhansk, in Putin-occupied Ukraine, and spoke out against his 'evil' war in February 2022.

'Like every sensible human being, I want to see my country free, first of all free from the existing regime,' she posted.

'I very much want to live to the day when human rights and freedoms will be respected in Russia.

'I really want to see the time when those responsible for the death of thousands of people in a meaningless war will be held responsible.'

Their youngest son Yuri junior was born in London in May 2021 after they split, according to reports.

He was then linked to another woman Ksenia Sukhinova, 35, who was Miss Russia 2007, and Miss World 2008.

Yet she had spoken against the war and now lives in France, say reports.

The DM article serves as a detailed rebuttal of Pitt's lawyers' caims:

'Shefler's Russia-affiliated spirits conglomerate has been the subject of repeated boycotts in connection with Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine and homophobic legislative agenda,' Pitt's lawyers argued.

Much as the VF article relied extensively on people associated closely with Brad who then proceeded to proclaim his love for Angelina and the children and admit his abusive behavior on the plane, the DM article relies almost exclusively on information from Shefler and people closely associated with him to establish that his wealth and holdings are all outside Russia and that he is an opponent of Putin and his invasion of Ukraine.

There is a pattern that has emerged -- a modus operandi -- that shows how they are subtly working to point to the truth and undermine the false narrative.

They don't need the false narrative anymore. But it has been in place for seven years and they are proceeding methodically in taking it down. It starts by showing that the filings and what the lawyers have said isn't true.