Mikhail Watford was found dead on Monday
(Picture: LinkedIN)A Ukrainian-born business tycoon has been found dead in his garage at his luxury Surrey home.
Mikhail Watford, 66, was discovered in the garage of his luxury £18million mansion on the Wentworth estate, in Virginia Water, on Monday.
The Ukrainian-born businessman, who made his fortune in oil refineries, was discovered dead by his gardener, The Sun reported.
A source said: “It is truly shocking as Mikhail had everything to live for.
“He had a beautiful wife, children and dream home. It makes no sense at all.”
Police have launched an investigation into his death but do not believe it to be suspicious.
A statement from Surrey police said: “We were called around midday on February 28 following reports of the discovery of a man’s body.
“An ambulance was called but the man, who was in his 60s, was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
“An investigation into the circumstances of the death is under way but it is not believed there any suspicious circumstances.”
Mr Watford was born in Soviet Ukraine in 1955 and had made his name in oil and gas.
The father of three changed his name from Tolstosheya after moving to the UK in the 2000s.
Mr Watford transferred his business interests to property after moving to the UK.
He leaves behind his Estonian wife Jane, their two children and and older son from his first marriage.
Mr Watford was interviewed about his Virginia Water property for a Sunday Times article in 2015 in which he complained about standards outside London.
“I want perfection, nothing less,” he said.
“In London – Mayfair, Knightsbridge, Belgravia – it’s possible to find top quality.
“But outside London, no. Not even near. It wouldn’t be right for me to say the houses are cheap. I don’t want to be rude, but they’re wrong style, wrong finishes, not high-end quality. Not for us.”
He said his high standards were a result of building superyachts.
A family friend said: “His state of mind might have been affected by the situation in the Ukraine.”
Mr Watford’s death comes as the Russian invasion of the Ukraine entered its eighth day.
Russian forces have taken control of Kherson in the south - the first major city to fall.
Mr Watford was not one of the oligarchs sanctioned by the UK Government.
Boris Johnson has claimed the Government is drawing up a list of oligarchs who may face future sanctions over their links to the Russian government.
