She was married to Pyotr Zavadovsky and known for her love affair with Prince Ivan Baryatinsky and for being the mistress and muse of the poet Sergey Marin.

Vera was born the only daughter of Lieutenant of the Horse Guards, Count Nikolai Fedorovich Apraksin from his marriage to maid of honour Sofia Osipovna Zakrevskaya, daughter of the Cossack Osip Zakrevsky who was raised to nobility, and Anna Grigorievna Razumovskaya (1722-1758), the beloved sister of Kirill and Alexei Razumovsky.

Vera's mother, Sophia, had a great influence on her uncle Kirill Razumovsky, after the death of his wife in 1771, she moved with her family into his house where she became his mistress.

Vera was then engaged to Count Pytor Vasilievich Zavadovsky, aged 46, who spent his free time in Razumovsky's house, and had been the lover of Catherine the Great.

Zavadovsky confessed to his friend Semyon Vorontsov "It is impossible not to love a girl who is kind and so well behaved; but this is not an obligation to marry".

Although I take a lamb from a mangy flock, I firmly hope in my spirit that the leprosy will not stop for me, just as something taken out of the mud can be cleaned, to not stain anyone's hands.

Zavadovsky wrote of the occasion:"I learned what joy is, what sorrow is from children: the crypt for five; one daughter, 6 months old remains, which does not bring encouragement, but rather trembling to the heart.

"In the 1790's correspondence of contemporaries, hints began to appear about the relationship of the Countess and a mysterious 'Abelard', as well as stormy scenes between the two spouses.