Who is Oksana Voevodina? The ex-Miss Moscow divorced by Sultan Muhammad V just weeks after their first child's birth

This week it was reported by local Malaysian media that Sultan Muhammad V’s whirlwind romance with Russian former beauty queen Oksana Voevodina has come to an end.

According to the New Straits Times, the pair’s divorce was quietly registered on July 1 and a source claimed that a copy of an alleged divorce certificate making the social media rounds was “genuine”.

Voevodina, whose full name is Rihana Oksana Voevodina, married the Sultan of Kelantan last year in a wedding in Moscow, according to her Instagram account. The NST claimed that documents had been filed in the Singapore Syariah Court on June 22 before being finalised in July, despite her father Andrei Ivanovich Gorbatenko previously calling divorce rumours “nonsense”.

While the Kelantan deputy chief minister said he “cannot comment” on the news as he had “no official information about [the divorce]”, NST reported the divorce certificate claimed the separation was a “talak tiga” - described as the “most severe divorce in Islam”.

Al Jazeera describes "talak tiga" as “the practice under which a Muslim man can divorce his wife by simply uttering ‘talaq’ three times”.

NST called it “irrevocable” and said, “The couple cannot remarry unless the woman marries another man, and this man, of his own free will, divorces her or dies.”

In a timely and perhaps pointed move, Business Insider Singapore translated a statement issued by the Kelantan Palace which called for the public to not name “certain individuals” the Queen of Kelantan. NST added that other titles including Permaisuri of Kelantan, Raja Perempuan Kelantan, Sultanah Kelantan were also not allowed “without an official conferment from the palace”.

For more on Voevodina and her former marriage to Sultan Muhammad V, here’s everything you need to know.

Who is Oksana Voevodina?

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Assalamualaikum dan salam sejahtera kepada para pengikut yang dihormati. Saya ingin memberitahu sedikit sebanyak mengenai diri saya. Nama saya Oksana dan saya dilahirkan pada 10hb Julai 1992 di Astrakhan, Rusia. Hari ini adalah hari jadi saya yang ke 27. Saya membesar dan juga bersekolah di Taganrog, daerah Rostov-on-Don. Semasa remaja, saya pergi ke ‘Summer School’ di Oxford untuk belajar Bahasa Inggeris. Pada 2009, saya berpindah ke Moscow dan menjadi pelajar di ‘Plekhanov Russian University of Economics’. Saya mendapat ijazah sarjana muda ekonomi pada tahun 2013. Pada tahun 2015, saya memenangi pertandingan ratu kecantikan ‘Miss Moscow’. Tidak lama kemudian, saya menceburi bidang industri fesyen. Saya mencipta jenama pakaian renang saya sendiri. Pada masa yang sama, saya belajar di ‘Moscow School of Radio and Television’. Pada tahun 2016, saya telah dianuggerahkan Ijazah Sarjana dalam Pengurusan. Saya seorang pakar dalam pemasaran antarabangsa. Pada tahun yang sama, saya membuka salon kecantikan di Moscow. Pada tahun 2017, saya berpindah ke Kuala Lumpur. Saya berkahwin pada bulan Jun 2018 dan pada bulan Mei 2019, saya melahirkan anak saya Ismail Leon- Tengku Mahkota Kelantan, dan insyallah bakal Raja Kelantan. Dear followers...I want to tell you a little bit about myself. My name is Oksana. I was born on 10th July 1992 in Astrakhan, Russia. Today is my birthday, I’m 27 years old. I spent my childhood and graduated from school in Taganrog, Rostov-on-Don region. As a teen I went to Oxford summer school to study English. In 2009, I moved to Moscow and became a student at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics. I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in economics in 2013. In 2015, I won the beauty contest "Miss Moscow". Then i created my own swimwear and beach fashion brand. At the same time, i studied at Moscow school of radio and television.

A post shared by Rihana Oksana Petra (@rihanapetra) on Jul 10, 2019 at 4:29am PDT

Voevodina is a Russian former beauty queen, who quietly married the ex Malaysian King in a surprise wedding last year. The 27 year old, who recently set up an Instagram account, took to the social media platform to share her story with the world on her birthday last week.

Voevodina revealed she was raised and educated in Taganrog, a city in the Rostov-on-Don region, and learned English by attending an Oxford summer school. (It is not clear if she learned English in Oxford, or attended a language school affiliated with the university.) She later pursued an undergraduate degree in economics at the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics and eventually a master’s degree in management, calling herself a “specialist in international marketing”.

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The man who really loves his woman will do everything for his beloved one. Love and taking care is the base for strong and healthy relationship. Good husband will always support and be nice with his wife. Always is interested how does she feel and takes care of her, if she is tired. Always 100% keeps his promises. Always takes responsibility for the family and doesn’t put this responsibility on his wife’s shoulders During pregnancy he would give his wife increased attention, gifts and care. Relationship are based on how can people support and understand each other. Family is the result of the work of two people who can give love gratuitously!❤️ Next time I will write about woman... Мужчина, по-настоящему любящий свою женщину, сделает все для своей любимой. Любовь и забота - основа крепких и здоровых отношений. Любящий муж всегда поддержит и будет обходиться бережно со своей женой. Всегда поинтересуется как она себя чувствует и позаботится о ней, если она устала. Всегда, на 100%, сдерживает перед ней свои обещания. Всегда несет ответственность за свою семью и не перекладывает эту ответственность на слабые плечи женщины Во время беременности он будет уделять жене повышенное внимание, дарить подарки и ухаживать. Крепкие отношения строятся на поддержке и понимании друг друга. Семья - это результат работы двух людей, способных даровать любовь безвозмездно.❤️ В следущий раз напишу пост о женщине...

A post shared by Rihana Oksana Petra (@rihanapetra) on Jun 9, 2019 at 1:08am PDT

She eventually moved to Kuala Lumpur in 2017 and was married to Sultan Mohammed V in spring the following year.

Was Oksana Voevodina Miss Moscow?

Voevodina competed in the Miss Moscow beauty pageant at the age of 22 years old and won it in 2015. Following her win, she continued to model and also launched a few lifestyle endeavours which included a swimwear and beach line as well as a beauty salon, according to her Instagram.

Pageantry also appears to run in her blood as The Sun reported that her mother also competed in a Russian beauty contest in the 1990s.

When did Oksana Voevodina and Sultan Mohammed V’s wedding take place?

Voevodina revealed that the pair were married in June 2018 and the pair reportedly had two ceremonies - the first a private Muslim ceremony on June 7 and the second a grander Moscow ceremony.

Voevodina shared a number of images from their second Moscow wedding. Calling it a “wonderful and beautiful wedding”, she shared a picture of the couple during the nuptials.

She also posted an image of herself in her grand wedding dress designed by Valentin Yudashkin, which she called a “dream come true”.

She acknowledged in June that their relationship was a “mystery” to some and explained how the pair met in 2017 in Europe. Explaining that the pair were introduced by jeweller Jacob Arabo, she revealed that they exchanged numbers after chatting “all evening” and continued that their romance continued with daily phone calls as they embarked on a long distance relationship.

Eventually, she claims, the Sultan “confessed that he felt in love with me from the first moment he saw me”.

After Voevodina was offered a year-long modelling contract in New York, she revealed, “My future husband was very upset and asked me not to make any decision about that job before our meeting. Soon I received [an] invitation to visit Malaysia with my parents... We were really fascinated by this country.”

He later proposed and she said that she had “made the right choice that time”.

Around the time of their marriage, Sultan Muhammad V stepped down from his position as King of Malaysia - providing no statement and marking history as the first Malaysian royal ever to do so.

According to South China Morning Post, commentators suggested that it was tied to "opposition within royal circles to his marriage to Oksana".

Do Oksana Voevodina and Sultan Mohammed V have a baby?

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Kepada semua pengikut pengikut saya yang dihormati, jutaan Terima Kasih diucapkan ke atas komen-komen anda. Saya amat senang hati apabila membaca ucapan ikhlas dari anda semua. Kehidupan kami telah berubah sejak anak comel ini dianugerahkan kepada kami suami-isteri dan membawa bersamanya kasih sayang dan cinta. Alhamdulillah, sekarang kami adalah keluarga yang bahagia dan sifat kekeluargaan adalah penting dalam kehidupan kita semua. Oleh itu, diharap kita sama-sama menjaga keluarga kita dan juga satu sama lain. Dan semoga kita dan ahli keluarga kita terus sihat sejahtera dan sentiasa dilindungi dan dirahmati Allah swt. Dear Followers! Thank you for your warm kind comments. I am very pleased to read your congrats. Our life has changed since this little cute bunny came to our world. He came here to be give love and to be loved. When one person starts to take care of another one more than about himself, love turns into a family. Family and children are the most important things in this life. Take care of each other. Дорогие подписчики! Спасибо за ваши тёплые слова. Мне очень приятно читать ваши поздравления. Наша жизнь изменилась с появлением этого маленького человечка, который пришёл в этот мир дарить любовь и быть любимым. Когда каждый начинает заботиться о другом больше, чем о самом себе, любовь перерастает в семью. Семья и дети - это смысл жизни. Берегите друг друга.

A post shared by Rihana Oksana Petra (@rihanapetra) on Jun 13, 2019 at 11:59pm PDT

The former couple have one child: a son named Tengku Ismail Leon Petra bin Tengku Muhammad V Faris Petra. In a post on Instagram, she called her son “Inshallah His Royal highness the Crown Prince of Kelantan and, Inshalla, the future King of Malaysia”.

While the Kelantan Palace did not explicitly address Voevodina’s post, a statement released days after the July 11 post asserted that the baby was not the crown prince. Business Insider Singapore claimed the statement declared Tengku Muhammad Faiz Petra the Kelantan crown prince instead.

Voevodina said her son - who she refers to as Leo in her posts - was born on May 21, 2019 and said it was the day when her life was “divided into ‘before’ and ‘after’”.

Voevodina called Leo a “great happiness” and thought motherhood was a “huge responsibility”, revealing in an emotional post that her son’s early weeks were incredibly difficult. In her post, she wrote, “Leo lost too much weight during the first few weeks of his life. He also had jaundice. At the beginning I didn’t pay attention on it because I thought he was born with yellow skin. Alhamdullilah, by one month old he recovered from it and gained the necessary weight in plus 1 kg.”

She added that he now “eats every 2.5 - 3 hours” and that he is a “wonderful and very calm child”, saying that her “fears about motherhood were unnecessary”.

While she has posted photos of her son on social media before, his face is always hidden from the camera.

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Sebulan yang lalu, saya menjadi ibu kepada cahaya mata sulong saya Ismail Leon. Cara hidup saya berubah buat selamanya pada saat itu. Menjadi ibu adalah tanggungjawab yang besar. Berat badan si Leo menjatuh amat teruk dalam minggu-minggu pertamanya. Dan dia juga mengidap penyakit kuning. Saya fikir ia dilahirkan dengan kulit kuning. Alhamdullilah, berat badannya berjaya bertambah dan dia pulih dari penyakitnya selepas sebulan. Sekarang dia mampu minum sebotol susu setiap 2.5 - 3 jam, dan dia tidur dengan nyenyak, terutamanya apabila cuaca diluar tenang dan ia berada dalam pelukan ibunya. Saya pernah ragu-ragu andainya tidur saya pun akan terganggu, tetapi kini sudah biasa dengan tabiat dan jadual waktunya, maka saya juga dapat berehat dan tidur ... kadang-kadang. Segala keraguan saya terhadap menjadi ibu orang memang tiada berbatas. Masa inilah detik yang paling bermakna di dalam kehidupan seorang wanita. Yang paling penting, saya tidak takut lagi untuk menjadi seorang ibu. Jika saya dikurniakan lebih cahaya mata oleh Allah, saya akan menerima kurniaan itu dengan segala kesyukuran. Sehingga waktu itu, putera kecil kami akan terus membesar dan memberi kasih sayang kepada ibubapanya serta kepada semua insan yang menyayangi dan mendukunginya. One month ago I became mother of beautiful little baby Ismail Leon My life has changed forever. Child is a great happiness and at the same time it is a huge responsibility. Leo lost too much weight during the first few weeks of his life. He also had jaundice. At the beginning I didn’t pay attention on it because i thought he was born with yellow skin. Alhamdullilah, by one month old he recovered from it and gained the necessary weight in plus 1 kg. Now Leo eats every 2.5 - 3 hours, he sleeps good, especially when it is fresh air outside and he enjoys cuddling very much. Actually he is wonderful and very calm child. I was afraid that It would be impossible for me to sleep at nights, but I had already get used to his timing and even manage to sleep... sometimes My fears about motherhood were unnecessary, this is the most beautiful period in the life of any woman, and what is most important, (continue below) 👇🏼

A post shared by Rihana Oksana Petra (@rihanapetra) on Jun 26, 2019 at 8:26am PDT

In an Instagram post about Leo posted on June 3, Voevodina wrote, “Everything that I was told about the changes occurring with a woman after the birth of a baby is true. This love is special. These feelings are completely new. I am greatful [sic] to Allah and my husband for our son. Now there are three of us. Thank you for choosing our family.”

What is Oksana Voevodina’s Instagram?

Voevodina’s Instagram is @rihanapetra. She has yet to make a formal announcement about the divorce and much of her feed currently revolves around her former relationship with the ex Malaysian king.