Natasha Krasnova

**Natalya Alexandrovna** "**Natasha**" **Krasnova** (Russian: *Наталья Александровна "Наташа" Краснова*; born 13 July 1984) is a fictional character portrayed by Anastasia Sokolova in the Channel One Russia serial drama *Krasnovy*. The middle child and only daughter of oil baron Alexander Krasnov and his first wife Irina, Natasha is business-savvy and manipulative, and comes into conflict with her new stepmother Anya Krasnova-Harutyunyan.

Upon the series' premiere, Natasha was lauded and described as the series' standout character. She has been described as a "21st-century woman" and has attracted praise as a feminist figure in Russian entertainment.

## Character background and personality

Natasha was born on 13 July 1984 in Moscow to parents Alexander Krasnov and Irina Krasnova. Her father is an oil baron and the CEO of Krasnov Industries, a company that Natasha has dreamed of inheriting since she was a young child. Throughout her youth, Natasha developed into her father's favorite child, due to her elder brother Peter's opposing moral viewpoints to their father and her younger brother Dima's rebellious nature. Natasha had a privileged upbringing, attending the exclusive boarding school Collège du Léman in Switzerland and later receiving her bachelor's degree from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.

Upon returning to Russia following her graduation from university, Natasha was hired by her father to become the chief marketing officer (CMO) at Krasnov Industries. Natasha, much like her father, is intelligent and charismatic, yet also opportunistic and manipulative. After beginning a power struggle with her new stepmother Anya Krasnova-Harutyunyan, Natasha leaves Krasnov Industries in the series' pilot episode to form a rival company with her high school boyfriend Nikolai Shumin, to the chagrin of both her father and her lover Farid Fayzulin.

## Character history

### Seasons 1–2

#### Season 1

Natasha is first introduced in the season 1 episode "It's Been Too Long a Time". Following the return of her elder brother Peter to Moscow, them and their younger brother Dima discover their father Alexander in the middle of having sex with Anya Harutyunyan. Alexander reveals to them that he and Anya are engaged, beginning a long conflict between Natasha and Anya. After discovering that Anya has a secret lover Oleg Polyakov, she persuades her lover and Krasnov family chauffeur Farid Fayzulin to follow Oleg and Anya, taking pictures of them together. Trying to use the pictures as blackmail material, her plan backfires, leading to Alexander to push up the wedding and promote Anya to the chief operating officer (COO) position he had promised to Natasha. In response, Natasha leaves the family company Krasnov Industries, and joins forces with her high school boyfriend and her father's business rival Nikolai Shumin to form a rival company.

In "What Just Happened", after Oleg's death, Natasha entrusts Nikolai in removing incriminating photos of him and Anya from the Krasnov family computer systems in order to make the family seem less suspicious in his murder investigation. With her and Nikolai becoming closer, Farid begins to become jealous. Nikolai and Natasha's relationship escalates in "Complacency is a Disease" after Natasha leaks Anya and Oleg's sex tape, leading to repercussions for the family and herself. Natasha ends up conflicted regarding her love triangle with Nikolai and Farid, after Farid begins dating his new girlfriend Masha; in retaliation, she makes her relationship with Nikolai official.

It eventually emerges that Nikolai is using Natasha to seek vengeance against the Krasnov family, and plans on marrying her to steal her shares in Krasnov Industries. Natasha eventually discovers his plan and begins to plot against him in "Troublemaking Girls". While they each draft up contracts entitling each other to shares in their companies following the marriage, Natasha reveals that she had already married stranger Sasha Antonovich the night before the wedding so their marriage was void, and that she will be entitled to all of Nikolai's shares but he'll have none of hers due to the fine print in the contracts. Following her grandfather's death, Natasha's estranged mother Irina Krasnova returns in "Poor Little Girl". Not trusting her mother, Natasha and Dima discover that she is only back because for financial gain, and seeks to destroy Peter's engagement to Katya Kholodova.

After deciding to attempt pursuing an actual relationship with Sasha, Irina ruins it when she reveals to Natasha that he is simply using her for information to write about in his new book, even after Sasha reveals to Irina that his book is actually about his own family, not the Krasnovs. When Anya discovers a massive scandal within Krasnov Industries, her and Natasha attempt to make it right. However, Anya takes the blame when Alexander finds out their secret activities, leading him to fire Anya and promote Natasha to her COO position in "We're All Family".