As a growing number of Russia’s richest and most powerful men amassed their fortunes in the aftermath of the Soviet Union’s demise, the mind-boggling opulence of Russia’s ultra-rich often makes it appear as if they live in a parallel universe to the rest of us. Here is a list of Russian oligarchs
Alisher Usmanov
Alisher Usmanov is well-known in Russia as one of Vladimir Putin’s “favorite” oligarchs. Usmanov, the country’s richest man until 2015, owns a majority stake in Russia’s second-largest phone network, MegFon, as well as a significant stake in the iron and steel conglomerate Metalloinvest.
Igor Shuvalov
Igor Shuvalov, Russia’s deputy prime minister from 2008 to 2018, is now the chairman of VEB, the Russian development bank that funds major infrastructure projects such as the Sochi Olympics.
Nikolay Tokarev
CEO of state-controlled Transneft, the world’s largest oil pipeline company. The oligarch has used his position at Transneft to build a business and real estate empire, which includes reportedly sponsoring an extremely luxurious palace that Putin is said to use personally.
Gennady Timchenko
Volga Group is the owner of a private investment group and a shareholder in Bank Rossiya. He is widely regarded as one of Putin’s confidantes.
Leonid Mikhelson
Leonid Mikhelson, Russia’s richest man in 2016, is the founder and chairman of natural gas producer Novatek, a close friend of Putin’s, and a business partner of Gennady Timchenko, a billionaire who has been sanctioned by the US since 2014.
Petr Aven
Petr Aven is the CEO of Alfa Group, a commercial bank subject to US sanctions that have helped him amass a fortune estimated to be worth $5.5 billion.
Yevgeniy Prigozhin
Yevgeniy Prigozhin started his ascension to power by selling hot dogs. Within a few years, he had opened high-end restaurants frequented by Russia’s leader. He was dubbed “Putin’s chef,” catapulting him into Russia’s elite circles.
Sergey Chemezov
Sergey Chemezov is the CEO of Russia’s state-owned defense giant Rostec. He was sanctioned by the US in 2014 amid Rostec’s role as a supplier for Russia’s invasion of Crimea. Washington is targeting him again, now with his family members.
Vladimir Potanin
Vladimir Potanin is Russia’s, second-richest man. He has served on the board of the Guggenheim Museum in New York for the past 20 years. The Russian oligarch met with Vladimir Putin last week, shortly after the Ukraine crisis erupted. Potanin had property in New York, which was discovered during the divorce proceedings.
Alexei Mordashov
The billionaire Chairman of Severstal and Severgroup is frequently referred to as Russia’s richest man. He benefits “from his contacts with Russian decision-makers,” but Mordaschov claims he has “absolutely nothing to do with the current geopolitical tensions.”
Sergei Roldugin
Sergei Pavlovich Roldugin is a St Petersburg-based Russian cellist and businessman. Vladimir Putin considers him a close friend. As part of Putin’s hidden financial network, the Russian businessman is responsible for moving at least $2 billion through banks and offshore companies.
Mikhail Fridman
Mikhail Maratovich Fridman is a Russian oligarch of Ukrainian origin. He is also an Israeli citizen. He was a co-founder of Alfa-Group, a Russian multinational conglomerate. As of 2017, he was the seventh richest Russian, according to Forbes.
