The recent revelation of an alleged extramarital affair involving Bill Gates and a Russian bridge player, Mila Antonova, has stirred widespread interest after reports surfaced that Jeffrey Epstein threatened to expose their purported romantic involvement.
Mila Antonova, the supposed Russian lover of Gates, would have been in her 20s at the time the alleged relationship took place, contrasting sharply with the tech mogul, who was in his late 50s and still married to Melinda Gates.
Details regarding the alleged clandestine romance between the pair were initially disclosed by the Wall Street Journal over the weekend.
Antonova’s background is rooted in Russia, where she honed her skills as a proficient card player.
Her educational journey took her through a university in her homeland from 2000 to 2005, as indicated by her now-deleted LinkedIn profile.
Upon relocating to the US, Antonova ventured into the realm of software engineering in San Francisco and even established a bridge club post her migration, although scant information is available about her family or upbringing in Russia.
The initial encounter between Bill Gates and Mila Antonova occurred during a bridge tournament in Washington, DC, towards the end of 2009.
An online video dated back to 2010 captured Antonova recounting their meeting at the North American Bridge Championships a year earlier, humorously mentioning her attempt to playfully kick Gates.
The timeline of the alleged affair remains ambiguous, leaving questions unanswered about when Gates and Antonova might have initiated their romantic liaison and its duration.
Notably, Gates was still married to Melinda, with whom he had three children, during the speculated period of the affair.
The couple finalized their divorce in May 2021 following 27 years of marriage.
Antonova’s connection to Jeffrey Epstein stemmed from her pursuit of funding for an online business dedicated to teaching bridge.
Boris Nikolic, a key adviser of Gates, facilitated the introduction between Antonova and Epstein, leading to a meeting at Epstein’s Manhattan residence in November 2013.
Despite staying at an apartment in New York City provided by Epstein the following year, Antonova clarified that she maintained minimal interaction during her stay and that Epstein did not invest in her BridgePlanet venture.
Subsequent to the setback faced in her online business endeavor, Antonova transitioned into software programming and sought financial support to establish a programming boot camp.
Epstein, along with others, extended monetary assistance, with Epstein directly contributing to the school Antonova was associated with.
Antonova professed ignorance regarding Epstein’s criminal background upon their initial acquaintance, viewing him merely as a successful entrepreneur willing to assist those in need.
Epstein’s role in the alleged affair became apparent when he reached out to Gates in 2017 seeking reimbursement for an undisclosed sum following Gates’ refusal to participate in Epstein’s charitable initiative alongside JPMorgan Chase.
Gates’ representative clarified that Gates engaged with Epstein solely for philanthropic purposes and rebuffed Epstein’s attempts to leverage a past association as a coercive tactic.
Despite Gates’ acknowledgment of multiple encounters with Epstein in the 2010s for fundraising efforts related to the Gates Foundation, Gates affirmed no financial transactions occurred between him and Epstein.
The circumstances surrounding Epstein’s awareness of the alleged tryst between Gates and Antonova remain unclear, while Antonova refrains from making any statements regarding her purported relationship with Gates.
