How many oligarchs there are in Russia, perhaps even Forbes employees will find it difficult to calculate: the country is large and the number of dollar millionaires in it only increases every year. However, in the TOP of the richest people in the Russian Federation, from year to year, the same people are fighting for the first place. So who are they - Russian billionaires?
Oligarchs of Russia: photo, biography of Vladimir Potanin
In 2015, he was recognized as the most in the oligarchs of Russia Potanin made his way back in 2006: then the businessman became the sixth man in the country in terms of welfare. In 2007, the President of the Interros holding moved up to 4th place. Then he lost his position in the five richest people in the country for several years, until he reached first place in the Forbes ranking in 2015.
Potanin once studied at MGIMO at the Faculty of International Economic Relations. In Soviet times, the future businessman was a member of the Komsomol and worked in the field of foreign trade of the USSR.
In the 90s, like many enterprising people, Potanin went into private business and founded one of the largest investment companies in Russia - Interros. A little later, Vladimir Olegovich received the post of vice president of MFK bank and president of ONEXIM Bank. Thanks to the loans-for-shares auctions in 1995, ONEXIM Bank became the owner of 51 percent of the shares of Norilsk Nickel. To date, Potanin has only 30.3% of the shares of MMC at his disposal, but this was enough to turn into the richest oligarch in Russia by 2015.
Mikhail Fridman
The list of Russian oligarchs has invariably included the owner of the Alfa Group consortium Mikhail Fridman for many years. In 2015, Fridman was ranked second in the Forbes ranking as the richest businessman in Russia.
And it all began with the fact that in the 1980s, Mr. Friedman resold scarce tickets to large ones and also organized discos. Then he decided to increase his income and created the cooperative "Courier", which was engaged in cleaning windows. In 1989, Friedman switched to selling photographic materials and computer equipment, and then took up the export of oil. This is how the Alfa-Group company appeared, which to this day feeds its creator.
But Fridman did not stop there and eventually joined the board of directors of Alfa-Bank, invested in the mobile operator Life, Belmarket and BelEuroset. And also Fridman managed to visit the board of directors of the ORT association and the SIDANCO Oil Company.
Personal capital of Mikhail Fridman in 2015 amounted to $ 14.6 billion.
Alisher Usmanov
Russian oligarchs are often involved in charity work. In this regard, it is widely known who for many years has supported the Russian national rhythmic gymnastics team, buys and returns to Russia historical values \u200b\u200band even returns Nobel medals to their owners (the case of Jason Watson). In 2013, Usmanov even became the # 1 philanthropist among Russian businessmen according to Forbes.
For three years (from 2012 to 2014) Usmanov held the title of the richest businessman in Russia. But in 2015 he changed first place to third: his personal fortune decreased from $ 18 billion to $ 14.4.
Alisher Burkhanovich began his career with the production of plastic bags. Today, the businessman is fed by shares in companies such as USM Holdings, Megafon, Mail.ru Group and DST Global, as well as YTV Holding. Since 2014, Alisher Usmanov has full control over the famous social network - VKontakte.
Victor Vekselberg
Russian oligarchs are included not only in domestic ratings of influential persons, but also in foreign lists. Viktor Vekselberg, for example, was in 113th place in the TOP of the most influential and richest people in the world as of 2010. In 2015, a businessman in Russia ranked 4th in terms of wealth: Vekselberg's personal assets amount to $ 14.2 billion.
The Renova company founded by him made it possible for Viktor Feliksovich to make a huge fortune. Over time, the company has grown into a large business group that owns shares in UC Rusal, Integrated Energy Systems, Russian Utility Systems and many others. Vekselberg also owns shares in some Swiss companies, for example, Oerlikon and Sulzer.
Vekselberg likes to repeat in interviews that money is not only difficult to earn, but also difficult to use it correctly. Given the stability of an entrepreneur's income, he knows how to properly distribute his funds.
Alexey Mordashov
Alexey Mordashov, who is considered the de facto owner of OJSC Severstal, in 2011 was the second richest entrepreneur in the country. However, the Russian oligarchs have pushed the businessman on the list, and in 2015 he is ranked only fifth with his personal capital of $ 13 billion.
Mordashov began his career at the Cherepovets Metallurgical Plant. After a while, the businessman had already bought up all the shares of ChMK and put all the profits from the sale of metals to the West in his pocket. Today the entrepreneur owns 79% of the shares of Severstal, 88% of Nord Gold and 100% of Power Machines.
Vagit Alekperov
Vagit Alekperov in 2006 had personal capital of 12.7 billion rubles and was ranked second in the Forbes ranking of the richest businessmen in Russia. Since then, little has changed: Alekperov has all the same capital, but dropped to sixth in the list.
Vagit Yusufovich began his career in business in the 1980s, taking the post of General Director of Kogalymneftegaz. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the businessman did not leave the oil industry and founded the LangepasUraiKogalymneft concern. Today Vagit Alekperov owns 22.7% of Lukoil's shares and, so to speak, does not live in poverty.
Billionaires not only get rich, but sometimes go broke. New faces are added to the list called “former oligarchs of Russia” every year. Among them are such persons as banker Sergei Pugachev. Some bankrupt billionaires are wanted for embezzlement and misappropriation of property. They immigrate abroad, file lawsuits in European courts and try to defend their names in the press, claiming that the Russian authorities are to blame for all their troubles.
Business and politics have always been interconnected, in these areas there is always a latent and obvious confrontation. Everyone protects their interests in all possible ways. Therefore, no one will probably know the real truth.
Which Russian businessmen wasted more money than others this year? Who launched the world's most expensive sailing yacht, and who started to equip the most luxurious housing in New York?
At the very end of 2016, the Russian president was asked what he thought about the dacha of the head of Rosneft Igor Sechin in Barvikha in particular and the big spending of officials and top managers of state corporations in general. Vladimir Putin, in response, urged them to "be more modest." And he hinted: you should limit spending, even if you have money for it. After all, you need to understand "what country we live in" and "not to irritate people."
The unambiguous hint of the president was heard and understood by many. In the past year, scandals with luxurious acquisitions of officials and top managers have become noticeably fewer. However, not everyone was ready to understand the situation and “not annoy people”. Some Russian oligarchs either did not want to listen to Putin's advice, or decided to prove that even the president does not order them. And they continued to waste money on the public.
The loudest purchases, as one would expect, in 2017 were made by billionaires who had long left Russia. They do not care that in the eyes of the West they remain Russian oligarchs who have earned their fortune by semi-criminal methods. They themselves no longer consider themselves as such, and they are not going to make discounts on public opinion. Not used to it.
Roman Abramovich was in the top news, as usual. In November, it became known that the billionaire this year secretly acquired another historic mansion in the center of New York - the house at number 9E on 75th Street for $ 18 million. The New York Post reported that this is the fourth building bought by a Russian oligarch in the city center.
Initially, Abramovich intended to combine all the purchased houses, numbered 11, 13 and 15E, in order to turn them into one huge mansion, striking in its luxury. Its area would be 1672 square meters, it would be the largest residential building in the city. However, when the house at number 9E was put up for sale, Abramovich decided to buy this mansion too - so, for the collection. The interior designer of the new property will be renowned architect Stephen Wang, whose services are not cheap. And the purchase of all four buildings in aggregate has already cost the oligarch at least $ 100 million.
At the same time, Abramovich attracted attention by beginning redevelopment at his luxurious London mansion, Lindsey House. The billionaire decided to build an underground complex there with a sauna, swimming pool and steam bath. 
Lindsey House
Vodka King Yuri Shefler, who owns Stolichnaya, Moskovskaya and Kremlevskaya vodka brands, as well as Riga Black Balsam, in March this year also decided to invest in real estate. The Russian oligarch has acquired the most expensive hunting estate in Scotland. 
Yuri Shefler
As reported by The Telegraph, the Tulchan estate in the Spey Valley was put up for sale for 25 million euros, but it is not known exactly how much it was sold for. Its land area is 85 square kilometers. You can hunt snipe, black grouse and woodcock, catch salmon, there are five farms on the territory, as well as beef and lamb production. Over the years, the guests of this estate were Kings Edward VII, George V and George VI, US President Theodore Roosevelt, American businessman William Vanderbilt and King Leopold of Belgium. 
Estate Tulchan
Russian oligarchs who remain in Russia for the time being have not invested in real estate or football clubs this year. Their spending was more common - yachts, airplanes and other items of the "modest" oligarchic life. So, the richest man in Russia, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index (BBI), Alexei Mordashov, the main shareholder of Severstal, this year also did not stand out for originality. The billionaire already owns a yacht, the 65-meter "Lady M" with a 7-meter pool, gym and helipad. She is considered the largest aluminum yacht built in the USA. However, now the first rich man in Russia has become, apparently, uncomfortable that his yacht is so small, not in terms of status. So this year he started building a new yacht, over 100 meters long. 
It is predicted that by the end of 2017, the president of Norilsk Nickel, Vladimir Potanin, will bypass Mordashov and take first place in the list of the richest people in Russia. According to Bloomberg estimates, the rise in nickel prices increased the oligarch's fortune to $ 19 billion. Therefore, this year the billionaire decided to pamper himself with expensive toys. 
Alexey Mordashov
The English site Superyachtfan.com, which tracks purchases of superyachts and private airliners, said the Russian oligarch has acquired five more jets since the beginning of the year and launched seven brand new yachts. Potanin chose fresh airliners in the Gulfstream G650 line - it is considered the most technologically advanced and fastest in business aviation. The cost of such aircraft in the basic configuration starts at $ 65 million. Potanin has already purchased two Gulfstream G550s, each worth at least $ 55 million. 
Gulfstream g650
How much the yachts bought by the oligarch cost is unknown. But their list is known. This year, the owner of Norilsk Nickel bought 88.5-meter Barbara, 88.5-meter Julia, 88.5-meter Juessica, 88.5-meter Melanie, 88.5-meter Sabrina, 88.5-meter Eva and 88.5-meter Juanita. According to experts, the cost of each of them is at least $ 250 million. Potanin's past acquisitions - the 75.5-meter Anastasia and the 88.5-meter Nirvana - were clearly cheaper, although they were equipped with gyms, 3D cinemas, bars, restaurants, swimming pools and even a terrarium with exotic inhabitants. Now, if all 9 yachts of the billionaire are built one after another, their length will reach 783.5 meters. And a full refueling of the fuel tanks will cost $ 4.5 million. This is much more than the ex-wife of Potanin received in the divorce this year. 
Vladimir Potanin
The main shareholder of EuroChem, SUEK and SGK Andrey Melnichenko this year also became famous for his purchase of a yacht. The billionaire launched the world's largest sailing yacht "A", which is estimated at more than $ 400 million. The length of the vessel is 142.81 meters, which is about 30% more than that of the nearest competitor. Yacht "A" has 8 decks and three 90-meter masts, a capsule with panoramic windows is built into the keel, through which you can watch the underwater life. There is a helipad for receiving guests. Private pools and swivel beds await for them to admire the ocean sunsets. The ship is serviced by 54 crew members. 
The President of PJSC "LUKOIL" Vagit Alekperov is not yet able to compete with Melnichenko's yachts. His ship Galactica Super Nova, built last year, is only 70 meters long - modest, especially by the standards of Russian oligarchs. Much smaller than Abramovich's Eclipse and Melnichenko's Yacht A. But Alekperov surpassed his rivals in another way. This year, the oligarch bought not just another yacht, but his own port in Barcelona, \u200b\u200bSpain. 
Port of Vagit Alekperov
According to the press service of ScanMarine TM, in September one of the most expensive marinas in the world and one of the most prestigious destinations for luxury yachts passed into the ownership of this Russian businessman of Azerbaijani origin. 
Vagit Alekperov
Alekperov acquired Marina in Barcelona together with the QInvest investment bank from Qatar. The ratio of the shares and the amount of the transaction were not disclosed. However, experts believe that the 169-meter luxury jetty could not cost less than $ 2 billion. After all, there is not only all the modern infrastructure with warehouses, restaurants, bars and car parking, but also a fitness center, beauty salon and a club.
According to Forbes, the businessman of 2017 is the founder of Alfa Group and the largest shareholder of the Luxembourg letterOne holding Mikhail Fridman. And at first glance, he really behaves exclusively like a business man. He spends money not on yachts and airplanes, but on business development. So, this year, through the LetterOne holding, Friedman carried out two major transactions at once: he acquired the English health food chain Holland & Barrett for $ 2.3 billion and invested $ 3 billion in the fund of Pamplona Capital Management, owned by Friedman's former partner Alexander Knaster. And with the proceeds from the transaction, he acquired the American companies Parexel (works in the field of medicine) and BakeMark (the bakery industry). The acquisition of Parexel alone cost $ 4.5 billion. 
Mikhail Fridman
However, if you look at it, then Friedman invests not only in the development of his business empire. At the beginning of last year, the billionaire bought the historic Victorian Athlone House in north London for 65 million euros, as well as two hectares of the surrounding area. When making the deal, the Russian oligarch pledged to restore the estate for 80 million euros - more than he paid for the purchase. In the renovated house, six bedroom apartments, a cigar room, a gym, a yoga room, an underground pool and a wine cellar were equipped throughout the year. And now several tennis courts are being set up next to the mansion. After the renovation is completed, the estate will cost at least 130 million pounds. 
Athlone House
In the outgoing year, Russian oligarchs have amazed the imagination not only with luxury purchases, but also with the cost of weddings. So, in July, the world community was struck by the luxury of a wedding, which was organized for their children by the co-owner of the Mezhregionsoyuzenergo holding Eldar Osmanov and businessman Albert Avdolyan, the founder and owner of the Scartel company.
The wedding of Lolita Osmanova and Gaspar Avdolyan took place at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, where the Oscar ceremony is traditionally held. The hosts of the ceremony were Ksenia Sobchak and Andrei Malakhov, and the guests were entertained by Svetlana Loboda, Nikolai Baskov, Stas Mikhailov and Lady Gaga. For the decoration of the hall with flowers alone, 500 thousand dollars were spent, and the rent of the Oscar-winning hall cost as much as 10 million dollars. Everything was top notch. For example, instead of the usual invitations, guests were handed black cases, inside which were copies of Oscars, a set of playing chips and a gold plate with the names of the newlyweds. And the video invitation could be seen on the screen built into the case.
How much the designer outfits of the bride and groom and their wedding rings cost is unknown. But it is known how much Alexey Shapovalov, a billionaire from Samara, spent on the ring for his chosen one. In May, he presented his bride Ksenia Tsaritsyna with a diamond ring, in which size matters. The stone on the model's hand, which she inadvertently boasted on social networks, pulled 79 carats. After seeing the photo, experts said: Elizabeth Taylor owned about the same diamond, and its value was estimated at $ 9 million. 
And on August 13, Shapovalov and Tsaritsyna played a wedding in Barvikha, near Moscow. Sergei Shnurov and singer Polina Gagarina performed at the celebration. The ceremony was hosted by Ekaterina Varnava and Vj Andrey Razygraev. The young people treated the guests with an eight-meter-high cake. And in total, at least 30 million rubles were spent on the magnificent celebration.
Many tabloids wrote about this wedding, including The Daily Mail and Cosmopolitan. Journalists called the ceremony one of the most expensive in recent decades, and the wedding ring of the bride - "crazy." The world community estimates the other spending of Russian oligarchs in approximately the same way. They surprise and at the same time shock everyone except the Russians. At home, the business elite has long been accustomed to the shocking behavior of the business elite.
Every year the popular economic magazine Forbes publishes a rating of oligarchs in Russia and around the world. Every year, one oligarch bypasses another in terms of his financial condition. It is prestigious to be included in the lists of this magazine; a real struggle is constantly going on for a place in the top ten. The oligarchs of Russia are the global and Russian basis of the economy. Let's see which of the richest people in our country in 2016 was included in the magazine's list, compare with the previous year.
Who tops the top ten richest people in Russia?
Each year, the list of the powerful ten changes its composition of the rich. In 2016, Leonid Viktorovich Mikhelson became the richest person in Russia.
The main assets of this oligarch are Novatek Corporation and Sibur (holding). In these companies, Mikhelson has the majority of shares. Needless to say, oil and gas are the most important minerals. Whoever owns them also owns the world.
Five years ago, Leonid Viktorovich did not even have half of the state that he possesses now. For 2016, his capital (official) is $ 14.4 billion!
In the world ranking, the oligarch in 2016 took the honorable sixtieth place, entering the first hundred of the richest people in the world. He has been holding this pedestal in his strong hands since 2015. In 2014, according to the Russian rating, he took the seventh place, and in the world list - only one hundred and fifth.
Biography of Michelson Leonid Viktorovich
The oligarchs of Russia, which we know at the present time, not all were originally born in rich families. So Mikhelson was born into an ordinary family: his father was engaged in pipe-building of oil pipelines in the Kuibyshevtruboprovodstroy company, where he later became a director. Mom - Praskovya Fedorovna - also worked in this production.
Leonid was born in 1955, on August 11. He graduated from an ordinary high school in the city of Kuibyshev. After school he entered the Civil Engineering Institute.
After graduation, he worked as a foreman in Surgut, building the first gas pipeline connecting Urengoy with Chelyabinsk.
In 1984 he was promoted to the chief engineer of Ryazantruboprovodstroy, in 1987 he took over from his father the main post of Kuibyshevtrudoprovodstroy, which in 1991 became the joint-stock company Nova. From 1987 to 1994, he completely managed this enterprise, in 2003 he became the chairman of the board of OJSC "NOVATEK".
In 2008, he headed the chairmanship at OJSC Stroytransgaz, since 2011 - Chairman of the Board of Directors at CJSC Sibur Holding.
Married. He calls travel and work his hobbies.
Second place
Mikhail Fridman, whose fortune is estimated, again, officially, at $ 13.3 billion, is on the second step of the list of ten. In the world ranking, he is in sixty-third place.
Mikhail Maratovich has not given his second place to anyone for several years in a row, but he does not rise to the first. A year ago, his assets fell in value by 1.3 billion, it was this factor that prevented the oligarch from heading the list in 2016 and bypassing Leonid Viktorovich.
Fridman is a co-owner of the Alfa Group holding. This holding consists of many companies that are engaged in different activities.
Mikhail Maratovich, as one of the richest people in the world, is also involved in charity work. He supports a Jewish foundation that is dedicated to helping Jews in Europe.
Biography of Mikhail Fridman
The oligarch was born in the city of Lvov on April 2, 1964. His family was already doing well then. His parents were engineers, his father was awarded the State Prize. It was awarded for the creation of identification systems in the field of military aviation.
Mikhail entered the Institute of Alloys and Steel in Moscow in 1986. There he was a real ringleader. He constantly organized discos in an informal club he created with his own hands, from his own money he paid musicians 30 rubles per evening! In the USSR, this was not a small amount of money.
After graduating from the institute, Fridman gets a job at the Electrostal plant as an engineer, while simultaneously doing business. In 1988, he opened the Courier company, which was engaged in washing and cleaning windows. In Moscow, these services began to be in great demand, since there are many high-rise buildings where offices were located or wealthy people simply lived in the capital.
In 1989, together with entrepreneur Alfimov and a couple of other businessmen, they created the Alfa-Photo company. This company sold computers, equipment and photographic devices.
In the same year he began to cooperate with Switzerland, the joint company was named "Alfa-Eco". The main activity of the company was the export of metallurgy and oil products. Subsequently, he became one of the directors of Alfa-Bank, Sidanko (oil industry), Russian Public Television and Trade House Perekrestok.
Mikhail Fridman was married, divorced at the moment. Has three daughters and a son. In most cases, the children of Russian oligarchs become companions of their parents, they live on the ready. But Friedman decided otherwise: he announced that he would donate almost all the wealth he had acquired to charity, and let the children build their own careers. His policy towards children is as follows: he raised, taught, and their further fate is only a matter of their own efforts.
Third position on the Forbes list
Alisher Usmanov was honored to close the top three richest businessmen in Russia in 2016. He just a little bypassed another businessman - Potanin, who took fourth place.
Alisher Burkhanovich officially owns $ 12.5 billion, according to the number of which he took seventy-third place in the world list. Metallurgy is his main cash flow. The second source is the latest information technology, Mail.ru Group. It was these technologies that allowed the businessman to almost double his capital and, for several years, become one of the ten most influential people in the country.
How did Alisher Burkhanovich begin his career?
Alisher Usmanov is a native of the city of Chust (Uzbek SSR). He was born on September 9, 1953. The family had four children, Alisher was the eldest. The father was a prosecutor.
After reading The Three Musketeers, the boy became seriously interested in swords - so that his parents sent him to learn fencing. And not in vain, after all, after a couple of years, Alisher became a member of the youth team of the republic, and after a while he entered the USSR national team.
In 1976 he graduated from MGIMO with a degree in International Law.
He began to work at the Academy of Sciences as an ordinary researcher. Then he became a senior in the Central Committee of the Komsomol in Uzbekistan, then director of the Foreign Economy Association in the Peace Defense Committee.
In 1980, he was sent to prison for eight years on three counts. But he did not have to sit for the whole term, he was released two years earlier, as he "completely repented of what he had done." Later, in 2000, he was completely exonerated, having said that his crime was fabricated and simply framed by his competitors.
After moving to Russia, Alisher starts his own business - the production of bags and the supply of tobacco products. In 1997, he received his education in banking. In 2006, he completely becomes the owner of the Kommersant publishing house, having bought out one hundred percent of the shares. A year later, three quarters of the shares of the Muz-TV channel are also transferred to him.
Usmanov later becomes one of the co-owners of Gazprominvestholding, which is a subsidiary of Gazprom. He owns large stakes in various global companies: Apple, Yota and many others. Of the Russian companies, he owns a part of the shares of Megafon, the U TV channel, the Disney TV channel, the Intercross company and others.
Usmanov is also involved in charity work, has his own part in the Russian football club, as he often sponsors teams.
An interesting fact: when in 2015 FC owed coach Fabio Capello more than 400 thousand million salaries, Usmanov gave these funds to the club on credit!
The wives of Russian oligarchs, according to many people, are beautiful, stupid dolls. But in most cases, this is not the case. For example, Usmanov's wife Irina works as a coach in the Russian national team. Since 1992 she has been training gymnasts.
Vladimir Olegovich Potanin - fourth place
Vladimir Olegovich Potanin fell slightly short of the third place. Interros is its main asset, the second is Norilsk Nickel. The state of this person for the year decreased by more than three billion and became 12.1 billion.
If assets did not fall in price, then Potanin could have come first, his fortune was more than 15 billion.
Biography of Potanin
He was born in Moscow on January 3, 1961 in the family of a doctor (mother) and a representative of the USSR Ministry of Foreign Trade for New Zealand, Africa, Turkey (father).
He graduated from MGIMO. From 1983 to 1990 he worked as a senior engineer at the Ruda and Fertilizers firms.
From 1992 to 1993 - Vice President of MFK Bank together with Prokhorov. In 1993, he took up the post of general director of ONEXIM Bank, and subsequently acquires more than half of the shares in Norilsk Nickel.
Potanin also managed to work in the government. From 1996 to 1997, he served as the first deputy chairman of the Russian government.
After 1997, he became the founder of a company for managing all the media that were controlled by his bank.
In 1998 - President of Interros, which he is now.
After the death of their parents, many children of Russian oligarchs become the owners of all the capital. Potanin claims that he does not intend to leave at least some inheritance to his two sons and daughter. He is going to donate all his fortune to charitable foundations.
Fifth place
Timchenko Gennady Nikolaevich has at his disposal $ 11.4 billion.
He managed to allow himself to live luxuriously and occupy the 83rd position in the world ranking due to the creation of the Volga Group and the presence of a quarter of Novatek's shares.
Gennady Nikolayevich knows how to invest and accumulate funds correctly. It was this skill that allowed him to increase his condition 5 times. So, in 2015, he occupied only the ninth position.
The oligarch was born into a military family on November 9, 1952 in Armenia. Graduated from the Leningrad Institute with a degree in electrical engineer.
During the USSR, Timchenko worked as an engineer at the Ministry of Foreign Trade for six years. Just like many oligarchs in Russia, he has stakes in several enterprises of various activities.
Sixth place
Alexey Alexandrovich Mordashov is the owner of the Severstal company and manages the Sever Group. His fortune in 2016 is 10.9 billion. It occupies ninety-third place in the world ranking.
He is also a co-owner of a German travel company, owning a quarter of the stake.
Born September 26, 1965 in Cherepovets in an ordinary family, his father worked at a metallurgical plant as an electrical engineer. Alexey Alexandrovich himself paved his way to the list of the richest people on the planet.
Mordashov is currently divorced. The wives of Russian oligarchs receive a good portion of their property upon divorce. But the divorce of this couple took place long before Alexey Alexandrovich made a huge fortune. When the former husband became a billionaire, his wife decided to take part of the capital through the court. Initially, her claim was satisfied - she received a part of the shares of the parent companies. In 2003, Aleksey Mordashov appealed against the court decision, and all powers were removed from the judge who satisfied the claim of his ex-wife, since she made the wrong decision and gave the oligarch's ex-wife the funds that Aleksey had earned after the divorce.
As a result, the ex-wife was left completely with nothing, since she could not return the funds previously sued to Alexei. Her apartment was arrested.
Seventh place on the list
Viktor Vekselberg - his very last name suggests that a person owns a large fortune! The property of this oligarch is estimated at 10.5 billion. Vekselberg is in ninety-eighth position in the world list.
Viktor Vekselberg owns the Skolkovo Foundation and the main one in the Renova company. Some time ago, he sold part of his business for good money, which allowed him to become the owner of more than $ 18 billion.
Vekselberg Viktor Feliksovich is one of the few oligarchs in Russia who lives in his own country, and not abroad.
Born April 14, 1957 in Drohobych. Graduated from the institute in Moscow with a degree in railway transport engineer.
Since 1989 he has become the General Director of NPO KOMVEK.
Eighth place
Vladimir Sergeevich Lisin, he is also the owner of a holding of transport companies and metallurgical plants. His fortune is $ 9.3 billion. It occupies one hundred and sixteenth place in the world ranking.
Was born on May 7, 1957 in the city of Ivanovo. The main activity is transport companies.
Vladimir Sergeevich is married and has three sons. The oligarch's hobby is collecting cast iron produced by the Kasli plant.
Ninth place
Vagit Alekperov held the sixth position in 2015, but lost as many as 3 assets over the year. He currently owns a fortune of $ 8.9 billion.
Vagit Alekperov is a co-owner of Lukoil and Skolkovo.
Born in the village of Stepan Razin on September 1, 1950. The family had five children. When the boy was only three years old, his father died. Mother, as best she could, brought up her children alone.
Since 1972, Vagit Yusufovich worked as an operator at the oil production base. In 1974, after graduating from the Institute of Chemistry and Oil, he became a senior technologist-engineer. Then he quickly climbed the career ladder, in the end he managed to become who he is now.
Tenth place
Khan German Borisovich in 2015 ranked eleventh in Forbes magazine. The list of the richest people in Russia, consisting of ten people, he was able to overcome in 2016, taking tenth place.
His property is estimated at 8.7 billion. German Borisovich manages L1Energy, invests in the oil and gas industry.
Was born on October 24, 1961 in Ukraine, in Kiev. At the moment he has a happy family: a beloved wife, two sons and two daughters.
The oligarchs of Russia deserve respect, since their path has passed since Soviet times, through the disintegration of the country and perestroika, default, various crises. But, despite all this, they managed to maintain and expand their business, to get into the hundred richest people in the world!
Forbes magazine is a world-renowned print publication specializing in the global economy. It was named after Bertie Charles Forbes, who founded it in 1917. Since 2004, the Russian version of the magazine, Forbes Russia, has been published in Russia. Probably the most anticipated news that Forbes annually announces is the ranking of billionaires around the world. What changes have occurred over the year? Who headed, and indeed entered the list of Russia's billionaires? We will talk about this and much more in the article.
History of the Russian version of "Forbes"
Russia was the fifth country in the world to start publishing a magazine on its territory. The first issue, as already mentioned, was published in 2004. Axel Springer Russia CJSC took over the project. Within 5 years, an electronic version of the Russian Forbes magazine was created.
The print edition has managed to change many editors over the decade. Less than a year ago, Axel Springer Russia CJSC sold the publishing rights to ACMG, which is headed by businessman Alexander Fedotov. It must be said that this decision was forced due to changes in Russian legislation on the share of foreign managers of local media outlets. In fact, it was a direct clash between the owners of Vedomosti and Forbes, because these publications touch on serious political and economic topics and, moreover, have a significant contribution from foreign owners. It should be noted that the Forbes magazine, from the date of its foundation, adhered to its own views and was independent of other people's opinions and influence.
The first billionaires of Russia in Forbes
In 1997, the magazine for the first time included in its list Russians who were in a good condition at that time. These were the leaders:
- lukoil - Vagit Alekperov;
- ONEXIM Bank - Vladimir Potanin;
- YUKOS - Mikhail Khodorkovsky;
- Gazprom - Vyakhirev Rem;
- the "Most" group - Vladimir Gusinsky;
- Boris Berezovsky (Deputy Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation).
Since then, the list has been updated. However, one of the management companies is still one of the richest people on the planet. This is Vladimir Potanin, who in 2015 topped the list of Russia's billionaires.
The results of the rating of Forbes magazine in 2016
On March 1 of this year, the newest rating of billionaires in Russia and the whole world was published. The list included 77 citizens of the Russian Federation. The size of the state of each of them has remained practically unchanged over the past year. But it is known for certain that 20 oligarchs have become even richer. Newcomers have also appeared, which we will talk about a little later.
The economic situation in the world has not been stable lately. This certainly influenced the fortune of billionaires. The total amount of funds at the disposal of Russian oligarchs in 2016 decreased by almost 54 billion conventional units compared to last year. The financial situation of the majority of wealthy individuals has changed, and therefore the list has been updated. Forbes information on the state of the richest people in the world for 2016 is reflected in the table:
| Information about the oligarch | Place in the Forbes rating | Status, USD billion | Country of Residence | Source of funds |
| Bill Gates, 60 | 1 | 75 | USA | Microsoft |
| Ortega Amancio, 79 years old | 2 | 67 | Spain | Zara |
| Buffett Warren, 85 | 3 | 60.8 | USA | Berkshire hathaway |
| Carlos Slim Elu, 76 years old | 4 | 50 | Mexico | telecommunications |
| Jeff Bezos, 52 | 5 | 45.2 | USA | Amazon |
| Zuckerberg Mark, 31 | 6 | 44.6 | ||
| Allison Larry, 71 | 7 | 43.6 | Oracle | |
| Bloomberg Michael, 74 | 8 | 40 | Bloomberg LP | |
| Charles Koch, 80 years old | 9 | 39.6 | Koch Industries | |
| David Koch, 75 | 10 |
As you can see, mostly men of retirement age can boast of a lot of money, there are, of course, young lucky ones. Most of the billionaires, as in other years, are in the United States. The leader of the list for that period is Bill Gates, the world famous creator of Windows OS.
Where are ours?
As you can see, the Russian oligarchs are still not rich enough to get into the top ten Forbes. The richest person in the country is only in 60th place in the general list. His fortune is estimated at $ 14.4 billion. And this person, completely unexpected for many readers, is Leonid Mikhelson. "Why unexpected?" - you ask. The head of Novatek was not even one of the five billionaires last year according to the Russian version of Forbes magazine. In just a year, he was able to break through from the 7th place to the leader.
The top ten people with a huge fortune by Russian standards also included:
| Full name, age | Place on the Forbes Russia list | Place on the Forbes list | Condition, billion dollars | Source of funds |
| Mikhelson Leonid, 60 years old | 1 | 60 | 14.4 | OJSC "Novatek" |
| Fridman Mikhail, 52 years old | 2 | 63 | 13.3 | Alfa Group |
| Alisher Usmanov, 62 years old | 3 | 73 | 12.5 | USM Holdings |
| Potanin Vladimir, 55 years old | 4 | 78 | 12.1 | Interros |
| Timchenko Gennady, 63 years old | 5 | 85 | 11.4 | Bank "Russia", "Transoil", "Sibur" |
| Mordashov Alexey, 50 years old | 6 | 93 | 10.9 | Severstal, Power Machines |
| Vekselberg Victor, 59 years old | 7 | 98 | 10.5 | Rusal, Sulzer |
| Vladimir Lisin, 60 years old | 8 | 116 | 9.3 | UCL Holding, NLMK |
| Alekperov Vagit, 65 years old | 9 | 124 | 8.9 | Lukoil |
| Khan Herman, 54 years old | 10 | 128 | 8.7 | Alfa-Bank, Retail Group |
In total, 77 Russians were included in the Forbes world list in 2016, which is 11 people less than last year.
Major Capital Ups of the Year
This year the leader of the list of Russia's billionaires has changed. It was Leonid Mikhelson, a "gas" and "oil" tycoon, a shareholder of the Novatek company. He was able to increase his fortune by 23%, which allowed him to make an incredible breakthrough: from 105th in the world ranking to 60! It is also worth noting that before that Mikhelson had never entered the list of Russia's billionaires.
But Mikhail Gutseriev, the head of the board of directors of RussNeft, jumped over this successful businessman in terms of capital growth in one year. He was able to climb 577 steps higher and took 205 place in the world ranking. His fortune has almost doubled. At the end of 2015, he was ranked 16th in the Forbes Russia rating. It will not be surprising if next year he becomes the leader of Russia in terms of equity capital. With such rapid growth, you can expect great achievements from the billionaire.
Down to earth?
Ups and downs followed. How many billionaires in Russia have lost their positions during an economically and politically difficult year? Despite the fact that Fridman and Usmanov retained their position in the ranking (2nd and 3rd places, respectively), their capital slightly decreased. M. Fridman lost almost 9% of money, and Usmanov - about 13%. Vladimir Potanin, an entrepreneur and politician who became the leader of the Forbes Russia ranking of the richest people in Russia in 2015, felt the changes more tangibly. Its losses amounted to about 22%, which in monetary terms is equivalent to $ 3.3 billion. Due to a decrease in his capital, he surrendered positions in the 2016 list, moving to 4th line.
But most of all, Oleg Deripaska, the owner of the Basic Element holding, was unlucky. The entrepreneur dropped 624 positions down in the Forbes World Billionaire Rankings. More than four billion were lost irretrievably.
More about the leaders: Mikhelson Leonid
The sixty-year-old Russian entrepreneur increased his capital by $ 2.7 billion in 2015, which made him the leader in the ranking of Russia's billionaires. By the way, he is not much behind the 50 richest people in the world according to Forbes magazine, where he is ranked 60th. The total amount of his fortune is equal to $ 14.4 billion.
It is one of the main shareholders of OJSC Novatek and Sibur Holding, which specialize in the production of gas and petrochemical products. Part of the funds also comes from a share in Promsvyazbank. Mikhelson is fond of art, which he expresses in sponsoring exhibitions in Russia and the United States.
"Silver" oligarch Mikhail Fridman
Compared to 2015, Friedman retained his position on the Forbes Russia list, although he lost some of his fortune ($ 1.3 billion). For this year, he owns $ 13.3 billion. He is the head of the financial and industrial investment group Alfa Group.
Has a stable condition since 2010. The owner of such brands as Pyaterochka, Beeline, Perekrestok. Mikhail Fridman, through Alfa-Bank, is involved in charity work, helping children with severe cardiac diseases. Has dual citizenship (Russia, Israel).
Usmanov Alisher
Owner of a fortune estimated at $ 12.5 billion. Over the past year, it lost almost 2 billion, but retained its position in the Russian Forbes list. He has several business empires that bring him a good income. Among them: Metalloinvest, Megafon, Kommersant.
Invested Facebook in the early days of the social network. Three years ago, Usmanov invested in Chinese assets: the Internet retailer Alibaba, the production of Xiaomi smartphones. In addition, the billionaire is a co-owner of the Arsenal football club (London).
Newly minted Russian oligarchs
Russian dollar billionaires are added to the Forbes list every year. In 2016, the magazine published four new names previously unknown to the public. Of course, in the overall rating they are still far behind the leaders. But who knows, maybe next year one of them will join 20 Russian oligarchs.
1126th place was taken by Mikhail Shishkhanov. A fairly young entrepreneur, the head of B&N Bank PJSC. At 43, he already has a fortune estimated at $ 1.6 billion. Gutseriev Sait-Salam, one of the directors of RussNeft, is on an equal footing with him. Leonid Boguslavsky is slightly behind his comrades. It is ranked 1476 by Forbes and has a net worth of $ 1.2 billion. Together with him, Kirill Shamalov was introduced to the public, very young by oligarch standards (33 years old), he has $ 1.2 billion and shares 1476 place with Boguslavsky in the world ranking.
In addition to new faces, Forbes welcomed entrepreneurs who were temporarily absent from the 2015 list: Viktor Kharitonin (Pharmstandard), Dmitry Pumpyansky (Sinara), Boris Rotenberg (SMP Bank) and private investor Megdet Rakhimkulov. Each of them freely owns one billion dollars. Together, the "new" oligarchs took the 1649th place in 2016.
Leaving the rating
The fallout from the economic crisis has affected everyone, and billionaires are no exception. Of course, few of them have become impoverished to zero. But the losses were tangible. For many entrepreneurs, this has resulted in dropping out of the list of the richest people in the world. In 2016, 19 Russians left the rating, including: Nikolay Tsvetkov (Uralsib), Mikhail Balakin (head of SU-155), Rustam Tariko (Russian Standard Bank). Their fortune is estimated at between $ 1.1 billion and $ 1.7 billion. At the moment they have returned to the home stretch and will now compete for the title of "more successful entrepreneur" with the "young" generation of Forbes.
Young billionaires of Russia
Business is developing despite any obstacles. The most dexterous, brainy and far-sighted soars skyward, flying over millions of their fortune. At some point, a new stage begins in their life and career: the first billion dollars. Of course, it is difficult to reach such heights on your own without the help of inheritance. The process of conquering the top of the oligarch's glory can take a long time.
By Forbes standards, the average age of the nominees is 45 years. This is the period of man's maturity, when behind his back there is already significant life experience and stability of the financial situation. All those who have not yet turned forty are considered young. Are there many of these in the world? And how many of them are Russians?
Forbes Russia celebrates 7 lucky people who, despite their small years, already have financial achievements:
- Shamalov Kirill (33 years old) - holds a seat on the board of directors of Sibur. In 2016, he took 64th position in the list of the rich in Forbes Russia. His fortune is estimated at $ 1.2 billion.
- Vyacheslav Mirilashvili (32) is almost a billionaire, with $ 0.95 billion in cash in his hands. He is the fund manager of Vaizra. Ranks 85th in the rating of Russian oligarchs.
- Pavel Durov (31 years old) is the founder of the VKontakte social network and the Telegram program, well-known among young people. For 2016, he has a fortune of $ 600 million and is 136th in the Forbes Russia rating.
- Elena Rybolovleva (27 years old) - the ex-wife of Dmitry Rybolovlev, received her fortune of $ 600 million thanks to the amicable agreement of the divorce proceedings. He is engaged in investments. In the Russian list, Forbes is in 142nd place.
- Deni Bazhaev (20 years old) is a young co-owner of the Alliance Group, owner of $ 500 million and 155 lines in the ranking of Russian oligarchs.
- Ivan Tavrin (39 years old) - owner of $ 400 million, head of PJSC Megafon. He founded his own business on his own. At the end of 2015, it is ranked 194 in the Forbes Russia rating.
- Vitaly Yusufov (36) - an investor, owner of $ 400 million. It is ranked 196 on the list of the Russian version of Forbes.
Young oligarchs have every chance to conquer the first positions of Forbes. Many of them achieved results on their own, without the help of relatives and other people's finances.
Billionaires of Russia are famous figures, founders of large industrial and financial enterprises. Each of them has its own history of the path to success. Over the past year, there have been many victories and failures that have made changes to the Forbes list. But troubles, like victories, build morale. Already next year it will be seen how they successfully and dignifiedly defended their business and once again became one of the richest people in Russia.
The US Treasury Department spent six months compiling lists of Russian political leaders and "oligarchs" as required by the sanctions law passed last year. But the result of their efforts is a strange copy-paste, in which single additions and omissions do not change the overall picture in any way.
People on this list are not subject to any sanctions (with the exception of those 22 people who were on the previous sanctions lists). However, the publication of their names in connection with Russian President Vladimir Putin and US sanctions will serve as a warning to all those who do business with them: in the future, these people may well have problems in relations with the US government. This, in turn, can force many Western banks to refuse to work with their money. However, the US Treasury Department is apparently not overly concerned about the consequences of this listing.
To compile this list, the Treasury Department undoubtedly consulted with experts and undoubtedly withstood the aggressive pressure of lobbyists representing the interests of wealthy Russians who did not want to be on the list. But in the end, the seven pages of the Treasury's public, unclassified part of this report is an exact copy of data taken from the official websites of the Kremlin and the Russian government in English, as well as a list of Russian billionaires copied from the Russian-language version of Forbes. As the first editor-in-chief and publisher of the Russian Forbes, I was deeply honored that the US government chose him as its impeccably authoritative source on who could be considered an oligarch in Russia. However, I also know that the Russian Forbes has never claimed that its list of wealthy Russians is complete, and that their assessment of their fortunes is absolutely accurate.
In 2004, when we first compiled this list - under the guidance of the magazine's first editor-in-chief Paul Klebnikov, who was shot near the editorial office later that year - the most common reaction from people who got caught was laughter: they tried to laugh it off by commenting on our estimates, which were often based on the opinion of analysts trying to determine the value of private companies based on the value of their shares and other secondary indicators. But the vast majority of them - with rare exceptions - wanted to be removed from this list. The fate of Klebnikov confirmed their fears.
The list compiled by the US Treasury, for some strange reason, ends at number 96 of the Forbes list: Albert Shigabutdinov, a petrochemical tycoon from Tatarstan, whose fortune is estimated at one billion dollars, is the last on this list. If we assume that any person who has earned a large fortune in Russia must necessarily arouse suspicion, then this list should also include those whose fortunes reach $ 900 and even $ 700 million, especially considering that the Forbes figures are in many cases approximate ... I felt a real relief for the founder of the Telegram messenger Pavel Durov: with a fortune of $ 950 million, he ranks 100 on the Forbes list, so he managed to stay out of the list of the US Treasury.
On the other hand, Grigory Berezkin, whom the Kremlin has entrusted with the purchase of certain media assets that are of great importance to Putin's domestic propaganda system - including RBC, whose former owner was forced to sell it after its journalists began to inquire about the business interests of Putin's daughters - was not included in the list of the US Treasury, because Forbes estimated his fortune at 800 million dollars.
There are two other problems associated with the use of the Forbes list: firstly, some of the people on this list do not conduct almost any business in Russia (they simply remain Russian citizens), and secondly, among them there are those whose fortunes - or at least some of them - were seized by the repressive apparatus of President Vladimir Putin.
The first group includes Yuri Shefler, whose Luxembourg-registered company produces Stolichnaya vodka and other alcoholic beverages in Latvia and other countries. Shefler's SPI Group has been suing the Russian government for years, which is trying to take away the rights to produce traditional Russian vodka brands. This circumstance can hardly be called proof of Shefler's close ties with Putin.
The same cannot be said for Yuri Milner, who made his first investments in Silicon Valley with the money of oligarch Alisher Usmanov, but then went about his own business, becoming a venture investor and struggling to avoid such connections. And Oleg Boyko, an entrepreneur who made his fortune in the 1990s, even before Putin came to power, was forced to close his giant gambling empire under Putin, and he closed all casinos. Boyko now owns a large international lending company that does not operate in Russia, as well as gambling establishments in Germany, Italy, Romania and Croatia.
The second category includes the Ananiev brothers, who last year - after the publication of the Forbes list - had to give their large bank to the Central Bank of Russia, despite the fact that, according to them, its financial position was quite stable; Danil Khachaturov, who last year lost his business, which came under state control; Elena Baturina, wife of the former mayor of Moscow, who was the largest real estate developer in the capital during the reign of her husband and who had to sell the business after his resignation in 2010; Mikhail Shishkhanov, who bought Baturina's business, but was forced to transfer his bank to the state last year. The list is very long because Putin's system is constantly changing, and its more predatory representatives constantly bite off the business empires of those who do not have patrons at the highest level.
On the other hand, Anatoly Chubais, the former head of the state monopoly RAO UES and the current head of Rusnano, a state-owned company that invests in cutting-edge technology, did not make it to the US Treasury's list, despite his well-known close ties to the Kremlin. The list also did not include judges, despite the role that corrupt courts play in Putin's system.
The experts with whom the US Treasury apparently consulted in the process of compiling the list - Anders Aslund, Andrei Illarionov and Andrei Piontkovsky, as well as the former Treasury coordinator for sanctions policy Daniel Fried - published their version of those criteria in November. to consider when compiling a list under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. They believe that this list should include only those people who are really close to Putin, and those who have enriched themselves "through corrupt commercial transactions with the Putin regime."
If we take these criteria into account, then it is necessary to pay attention to two other lists of Russians compiled by Forbes. In addition to the list of the richest Russians, this magazine also publishes a list of the richest civil servants and deputies and a list of "kings of state orders." These lists paint a much more accurate picture of who is enriched by their ties to the current regime.
Nevertheless, the US Treasury chose to ignore warnings from Atlantic Council experts that “wealthy Russian businessmen should not be included in the list solely on the basis of their wealth. Many of them made their fortunes even before Putin came, and now, in order to survive, they have to pay a significant tribute to the Kremlin. " Thus, this list includes both the hostages and those who made them hostages.
Another advice of experts - to include people in the list "only on the basis of reliable information" - the Ministry of Finance also apparently ignored.
There is one justification that has been known to everyone for a long time and according to which the secret part of the US Treasury report is supposedly more justified and based on more reliable data than its public part. But this excuse seems flimsy. Given the goals of the United States - to disgrace the Putin regime in the eyes of Russians and the whole world - there is no point in classifying information about Putin's associates and their corruption.
Personally, I tend to give the US administration a certain amount of confidence. President Donald Trump has been extremely reluctant to sign the sanctions law, and the Treasury may have never taken the list seriously. And the fact that the administration does not recommend the introduction of any new sanctions indirectly confirms this theory of mine.
It's good if the Trump administration doesn't believe in the effectiveness of the sanctions. But if Congress continues to press for sanctions - and it does - the administration should be more serious about targeting. Otherwise, those Russians who bear no responsibility for the system built by Putin will lose their businesses and their reputation, while Putin himself will remain unharmed.
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