A lot of people find Russia and its politics interesting topics for discussions. With the Eurasian country operating in a way that’s different from the West, it seems that the curiosity is quite justified.
The country has one thing in common with the rest of the world: an abundance of billionaires. Here are the current richest Russian billionaires right now.
Andrey Melnichenko
Andrey Melnichenko built his $13 billion fortune working a wide array of industries. His stakes vary from coal energy to fertilizers to banking.
Melnichenko owns shares in SUEK and Eurochem. He also owned stakes in MDM Bank, which he co-founded, but sold them in 2007.
And if those aren’t impressive enough, the 48-year-old also owns the largest sailing yacht in the world
Vladimir Lisin
Vladimir Lisin is not only the second richest man in Russia. He’s also considered one of the world’s leading experts in the topic of metallurgy.
The Novolipetsk Steel chairman holds patents on various metallurgical processes and a fortune worth over $20 billion.
Alisher Usmanov
While other businessmen like to diversify, Alisher Usmanov focused his interests in the metal and natural gas industries. The billionaire owns the majority of Metalloinvest, a metallurgy company specializing in steel production.
Usmanov also has overseas investments. One of them is a majority stake in the Arsenal Football Club. He is currently worth $14 billion as of the latest estimates.
Leonid Mikhelson
Leonid Mikhelson’s climb to the top is an inspiring one. Starting his career as a foreman, he was able to work his way to become a chief engineer.
He will take the same work ethic to Novafininvest and eventually take over it as manager. Mikhelson renamed the company Novotek and continues to serve as its CEO to this day.
Mikhail Fridman
Mikhail Fridman is the founder of the Alfa Group Consortium, one of the biggest privately-owned investment companies in Russia. He founded the group in 1989 after developing an interest in investing and trading while he was scalping tickets as a way to pay the bills.
The business magnate, who also holds Israeli citizenship, built a $14.5 billion over the years investing in oil, banking, and telecom businesses.
The 56-year-old billionaire has also been active in issues concerning Jews in Russia since the ‘90s.
Vladimir Potanin
The current wealthiest man in Russia is Vladimir Potanin.
The 59-year-old has interests in sectors like metals, communications, and media. He oversees Prof Media, which in turn is responsible for the Russian segments of VH1 and MTV.