[13][5] When Abramovich purchased England's Chelsea FC in 2003, Shvidler moved to the UK, and briefly became a director at the club.
[2][6] In 2000, Shvidler purchased the Château Thénac vineyard in France, which produces a range of fine wines and spirits.
A 2009 profile by UK newspaper The Guardian reported on Shvidler's commitment to "first-class wine that will rival anything neighbouring Bordeaux has to offer," and the success he was enjoying as a winemaker.
[1] Shvidler owns a number of properties in addition to Château Thénac, including a £22 million ($37m) house in Belgravia, London, and a home in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey.
In 2008, Shvidler and Abramovich purchased property Snowmass Village, Colorado, as an investment, totaling over $62 million in real estate.
[6] Shvidler is a known philanthropist, over the years he has made philanthropic donations totalling some £10 million to several educational initiatives in the UK, including a library and scholarships for disadvantaged young people.
[19][6] After a $1 million gift from Shvidler, his alma mater Fordham University in New York, USA, established the Center for Jewish Studies in 2016.
[20] On 12 March, The Guardian ran an article under the headline 'Why has Abramovich’s billionaire friend been left off the UK sanctions list?'.
[21][17] Shvidler was sanctioned for being a business partner of Roman Abramovich, and his role in steel, mining and chemicals company Evraz meaning he "was involved in obtaining benefit from or supporting the Russian Government".
[23] At the High Court hearing in July 2023, Shvidler’s lawyers told the court that Shvidler was a British national, who had "never been a citizen of Russia, nor visited Russia for 15 years", has "no relationship with President Putin (whom he last saw at Boris Yeltsin’s funeral in April 2007)", and has "never been involved in politics".
Shvindler's lawyers further claimed there had been improper procedure by the UK Government, and that the lives of Shvidler's ex-wife Zara, and their children, had been "turned upside down" by sanctions, with his children rejected school places in the UK, and having to move to the USA, and his "ability to conduct his businesses has been destroyed."
[6] The court concluded that the "foreign policy objectives" (applying pressure on President Putin to withdraw from Ukraine) were of the "highest order" and therefore justified the interference with Shvidler's human rights.
Shvidler's lawyer stated to the court that he was "living off the kindness of friends", as sanctions had "cut him off from his wealth".