Roman Abramovich, 33 years old, married. Just a month ago, he was essentially unknown to anyone, but today the whole country is talking only about him. And it seems to have good reasons for this. Suddenly it turned out that it was Abramovich who almost single-handedly formed Stepashin’s cabinet. He finances all the expenses of the “family” and in terms of influence on Tatyana Dyachenko eclipsed Boris Berezovsky himself. In short, Abramovich is the number one oligarch. But this is how one of his close friends commented on the situation around Abramovich the other day in a narrow circle: “They framed the guy. Now he has no future...”
Who is Roman Abramovich really?
How did he light up?
Abramovich never sought widespread fame. He hates being photographed, but not at all because, as is often written, he has some kind of complex about his appearance. It’s just that he, an ardent radical liberal by conviction, really doesn’t like it when anyone, including the paparazzi, violates his rights and freedoms. And with friends he takes pictures without any tension. Investigators who searched the Sibneft office two months ago said that one photo - Roman Abramovich in the company of Tatyana Dyachenko - even stands on his desk.
He is not used to “shine” simply because he has been doing this since the early 90s dangerous business like oil trading. For this reason, Abramovich turned out to be a more suitable candidate for the role of cashier of the presidential family than public politician Boris Berezovsky. What kind of secret cashier is this if his name is mentioned on all corners?
Abramovich was the first to be publicly exposed former head Presidential Security Service Alexander Korzhakov. On November 26 last year, he called a special press conference and said that it was Abramovich who paid Tatyana Dyachenko’s large bills.
It’s interesting that this information didn’t cause much of a stir at the time. Perhaps due to the odiousness of the informant himself. Or maybe simply because there is no way to check it. Certificates like “Abramovich Roman Arkadyevich, passport series XXIX-MU number 564047, issued by the 18th O/M of Moscow on November 16, 1982, registered at 103051, Moscow, Tsvetnoy Boulevard St., building NN, apt. NN, bought (not bought) a house for Tatyana Borisovna Dyachenko,” obviously does not exist.
All the more remarkable is the effect of the current campaign around the demonic oligarch Abramovich. Through electronic and print media long-known, but little verified information that Abramovich (from the account of his company Runicom) paid for the purchase of a house for Dyachenko in the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Germany), as well as two yachts with the romantic names Stream and Sophie Choices, in a matter of days turned into public consciousness into an absolutely reliable fact. Moreover, neither Abramovich himself nor Dyachenko have yet refuted it.
Another thing is more important: the image of Abramovich as the main puppeteer Russian authorities already actually formed.
How I got rich
Roman Abramovich is undoubtedly an extremely influential figure. We can say with a great deal of confidence that Abramovich is a self-made man. The myth that Boris Berezovsky found him in 1993 somewhere in the mud and benefited him, and now he himself suffers because of him, is very far from the truth.
Abramovich made his first money in small trade and vulcanization of tires, earning not only some capital, but also invaluable experience of surviving in specific Russian conditions.
Abramovich’s most famous operation of those times was a contract for the supply of 55 tanks with diesel fuel to Moscow. The tanks, however, then ended up in independent Latvia, and its manufacturer, the Ukhta Oil Refinery (Komi Republic), did not receive money for the diesel fuel (3.8 million rubles). The prosecutor opened a case against Abramovich, but for some reason sent him to Ukhta, where it lies motionless to this day.
The connections developed in Komi subsequently became an important trump card for Abramovich in negotiations with Berezovsky on cooperation.
Another important trump card of Abramovich in those years was connections in Omsk region. In Omsk there is one of the most modern oil refineries in Russia, which also has extremely profitable geographical position(proximity to main consumers). Having headed the Russian branch of the Swiss company Runicom S.A. and employing the son of the governor of the Omsk region, Leonid Polezhaev, Alexey, Abramovich quickly became one of the largest traders of Omsk Refinery products. However, he understood perfectly well that until the Omsk Refinery and its traders were able to determine the policies of oil producing companies, their business would not bring real profit.
Finally, it should be noted that Abramovich graduated from the Moscow Institute of Oil and Gas. Gubkin and, therefore, is not only a professional oilman himself, but also has numerous acquaintances among professionals. That is, he could quickly form a management team from them.
Abramovich laid out all this capital in 1994 on the table in front of Berezovsky, who by that time had also gone through the stage of primitive accumulation and was ripe for a truly big business. Berezovsky’s acquaintance with Korzhakov dates back to the same period, which provided Berezovsky with access to the Kremlin. This was his main trump card. In addition, Berezovsky had a team of experienced financiers - Badri Patarkatsishvili, Nikolai Glushkov and others.
The cooperation turned out to be mutually beneficial. In 1995, the influential politician Berezovsky pushed through a presidential decree on the separation of the Sibneft company from Rosneft, and the experienced oilman Abramovich suggested which enterprises should be separated from Rosneft - Noyabrskneftegaz, the Omsk Oil Refinery and several other small ones. And he proposed putting his classmate Evgeniy Shvidler at the head of the company. From Berezovsky's side, Badri Patarkatsishvili was seconded to help Shvidler. The simplest thing remained - privatization. A loans-for-shares auction, a couple of cash - and Sibneft began to belong to them.
How it worked
It doesn’t make much sense to talk about which of the partners - Abramovich or Berezovsky - ended up with more shares in Sibneft (Abramovich has approximately twice as many shares). The profits of industrial companies in Russia still end up mainly in the accounts of intermediaries and are divided between partners in accordance with gentlemen's agreements. And those, in turn, are concluded on the basis of what each of the partners actually gives to the common cause.
We are unlikely to be wrong if we conclude that before the crisis, Abramovich and Berezovsky were equal partners. For example, Berezovsky, through Korzhakov, helped remove the well-known oil entrepreneur Pyotr Yanchev (Balkar-Trading) from the flows of Noyabrskneftegaz. And Abramovich, thanks to Governor Polezhaev, managed to painlessly re-register Sibneft in the village of Lyubino. Only the budget of the city of Omsk suffered from this, but not the region.
It should be noted that Berezovsky, who then controlled not only Sibneft, but also whole line other federal enterprises (ORT, AvtoVAZ, Aeroflot), before the crisis he was a much larger and more influential businessman than Abramovich. And if the latter had to pay for something, it was not so much the result of Abramovich’s special connections with the “family” as the execution of Berezovsky’s financial orders. Abramovich's sphere of influence was limited to the oil sector - for example, he could independently choose an intermediary for Sibneft. So, in particular, one of the main partners of the company was KomiTEK-Moscow, whose head Grigory Berezkin has known Abramovich for a long time.
And then the crisis came, Primakov, and everything changed.
How I set myself up
What happened to Berezovsky after August 17 is well known: Yevgeny Primakov and the Prosecutor General’s Office began an attack on his positions along the entire front. Berezovsky was removed from Aeroflot and ORT, and deprived of the post of executive secretary of the CIS. He is still considered under investigation to this day.
Meanwhile, nothing of the kind happened to Abramovich (although, according to Kommersant's information, Primakov's entourage had no better feelings for him than for Berezovsky). Moreover, business went better: Sibneft, as an exporter, benefited from the devaluation, and then world oil prices began to rise. Berezovsky, who had gone to Paris, could not help Sibneft in any way, but only continued, they say, to send invoices. Naturally, Abramovich did not like this.
Abramovich decided that he had become number one. For a long time. However, Berezovsky returned and Primakov retired. The formation of a new government has become the best testing ground for testing which of the partners is closer to the “family” and who has what influence. Abramovich managed to bring even more of his people into Stepashin’s office than Berezovsky. At the same time, other centers of power (Gusinsky, Luzhkov, Chubais) received almost nothing.
And this is the main weakness of Abramovich’s current position. It is impossible to win if you fight with everyone. They say that even Chubais and Luzhkov entered into a temporary alliance to fight Abramovich. As if on cue, the media turned on Abramovich. And if talk about Abramovich as a man who manipulates the entire “family,” including the president, reaches Yeltsin, there is no doubt that his career as an oligarch will soon end. And others will emerge from the shadows.
ANDREY B-BAGROV
Roman Abramovich- famous Russian entrepreneur, former governor of Chukotka, constantly tops the lists of billionaires and richest people, both in Russia and around the world.
Many are interested in the history of his career, the history of his billions. How smog Roman Arkadievich Abramovich become one of the most rich and the most famous people of our time?
Roman was born in 1966 in the city of Saratov, into a Jewish family. His father worked in the Economic Council and died when the boy was only 4 years old, and his mother died even earlier, when Roman was 1 year old. Roman was raised in his uncle's family in Ukhta.
And in 1974 he moved to Moscow, to his other uncle. He graduated from school and served in the army. Then he entered college in Ukhta.
In the 80s - 90s. Roman Abramovich was engaged in small business - mainly intermediation and trade. And then he switched to oil. 
Roman Abramovich met Boris Berezovsky, and then Boris Yeltsin. Abramovich became very close to the Yeltsin family, which, as many believe, helped him acquire ownership of the Sibneft company and become the governor of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. After all, it was in Chukotka that many organizations were registered that sold oil and petroleum products.
So, in 2000, Roman Abramovich became the governor of Chukotka. And, as they say, he invested considerable funds, including his own, in the development of the region and improving the standard of living of the population. However, then more than once Roman Arkadyevich asked President Putin to remove him from his post. But each time Putin did not agree and reappointed him. And only in 2008 Abramovich, according to at will, was removed from his post as governor by President Medvedev. On this moment Abramovich is the chairman of the Duma of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.
Abramovich associated with companies such as " Russian aluminum», « Aeroflot», « Slavneft», « Yukos», ORT, « RusPromAuto", football club " Chelsea».
Those who had the honor of personally knowing Roman Abramovich claim that this man has excellent organizational skills, enviable willpower and, most importantly, he created his success with his own hands.
You can also look video about Roman Abramovich's condition:
Everyone knows about Roman Abramovich - his name is synonymous with wealth and power. To reach his current fortune of $9.1 billion, the businessman began as an active player in the oil trading market and always “made” the necessary connections.
- FULL NAME: Abramovich Roman Arkadievich
- Date of Birth: 24.10.1966
- Education: incomplete higher education, Ukhta Industrial Institute
- start date entrepreneurial activity/age: 25 years
- Type of activity at start: production of polymer toys
- Current view activities: entrepreneur, billionaire
- Current state: $9.1 billion, according to Forbes version for 2017
Roman Abramovich is a man whose name alone can arouse genuine public interest. Any facts of his biography attract attention.
Childhood and youth
Abramovich Roman Arkadyevich was born on October 24, 1966 in the city of Saratov into a Jewish family, although his father’s “nationality” was written “Russian.” The childhood of the future oligarch cannot be called cloudless - he became an orphan at the age of four. When the baby was one year old, the mother died of illness, and three years after the injury received at a construction site, the father also died. The boy was raised by Uncle Leib, who lived in Ukhta, but Roman finished school in the capital, living with another uncle.
After school the army was waiting for the guy, air defense, from which he returned to the Industrial Institute of Ukhta. And it was here that he began to show his organizational skills. They did not concern their studies - Roman Abramovich never received a diploma of higher education, because his interests turned towards entrepreneurship.
How Roman Abramovich's business began: heading towards oil rivers
By the end of the eighties, Abramovich was “ripe” to start doing business. And the first project was the cooperative organization “Uyut”, which was engaged in the production of polymer toys.
The next stage was the transition to trading operations - at first the businessman acted through intermediaries, then he moved to independent decisions. At the dawn of the nineties, Roman became the head of AVK-Komi, an intermediary enterprise for operations in the oil market. It is noteworthy that his first case of supplying fuel almost became a criminal case - a theft occurred, but the entrepreneur himself actively helped the investigation, and the thieves were found.
The adroit exporter was noticed by Boris Berezovsky and the Yeltsin family. At that time Berezovsky was more involved political activity, and therefore transferred the affairs (raw materials and financial flows) from Sibneft, which actually belonged to him, to a new person.
And here it’s worth talking separately about joint projects with Mr. Berezovsky. It's about about an oil corporation operating along a single vertical, the basic basis of which would be Noyabrskneftegaz and the Omsk Oil Refinery (then owned by Rosneft).
1996 turned out to be a particularly successful year: in June, Roman was appointed to the management of Noyabrskneftegaz JSC (board of directors). The Moscow representative office of Sibneft submitted to him around the same time, and the board of directors of this organization - already in September. By the way, this also included many of the entrepreneur’s partners, whom he trusted since his first cooperative.
In 1998, there was an attempt to merge Sibneft and YUKOS, but this did not go further than theory. And first of all, because of the ambitions of the owners, disagreements between Abramovich and Berezovsky led to complete discord with each other. But by this time, our hero was already confident in his own abilities - behind him was a fortune estimated at 14 billion dollars.
The beginning of a new millennium
The 2000s continued to reveal the potential of our hero. Among the successful projects are the following:
- Russian Aluminum (co-founder Oleg Deripaska);
- repurchase of ORT shares from Berezovsky with subsequent sale to Sberbank;
- buyout of a controlling stake from Aeroflot.
In December 2002, Sibneft was strengthening relations with Belarus. So, first, 10% of the shares were purchased from the Russian-Belarusian oil concern Slafneft, then, together with its partner TNK, another 74.9% was acquired. The resulting assets were divided equally.
Which other major oil companies are boosting the domestic oil market? It turns out that there are 7 largest tycoons in this area.
The second half of 2003 was much less clear: the Prosecutor General’s Office and Tax office began to doubt whether the shares in many of the oligarch's companies were legally acquired. All this resulted in fines of $1 billion. Abramovich begins to sell off shareholdings in many companies - from Aeroflot and Russian Aluminum to RusPromAvto and Sibneft.
Speaking about projects closer in time, we must mention Boris Polansky, who is known as a financial investor. In the future of such cooperation is the opening of Polanski Bank Capital.
Business wisdom and acceptance optimal solutions led to the fact that our hero was an arbiter in the “Nickel War” in 2012. He received the right to manage 20% of the trust fund.
Conquest of the political Olympus
Roman Abramovich’s business did not prevent him from taking part in political life countries. It all started in 1999, when our hero became a State Duma deputy from the Chukotka constituency. Why was this geolocation chosen? But it was in this territory that companies engaged in operations with petroleum products on behalf of Sibneft were registered.
Roman did not get involved in factions. But since 2000, he got into the committee, problem solver North and Far East.
This led to gubernatorial activity in 2001-2008. The time of his leadership is characterized as a period of successful development of the region, in particular the oil industry. For this purpose, Roman invested a lot of his own funds. In 2006, for such an approach to work, the businessman was awarded the Order of Honor.
In 2005, Abramovich sold his own stake in Sibneft shares (75.5% at a price of $13.1 billion) to Gazprom and made attempts to resign as governor. However, each time he abandoned this idea after a conversation with Putin. And only with the arrival of Medvedev, the gubernatorial powers of Roman Arkadyevich were terminated.
But his participation in politics did not end there - in the same 2008, Roman, yielding to the request of the Duma deputies of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, participated in by-elections. The result was stunning - 96.99% voted for him.
The former governor reported on his financial condition. He did not hide from anyone how he earned his first money:
Since October 2008, Abramovich has been the chairman of the local Chukotka Duma. However, by that time he was already living permanently in the UK, where his passion for football led him.
Love for football
Let's go back to 2003 - it was then that the oligarch carried out a world-famous business deal. We are talking about the ransom of an almost bankrupt football club Chelsea, sorting out all its debts and renewing the team, with contracts worth six zeros (with wide coverage in the world media).
This reconstruction cost £150 million. IN Russian press There was an immediate stir: they say that the oligarch is developing foreign sports, not domestic ones! No one even tried to remember that Roman made attempts to acquire CSKA, but the deal failed. And the investment in Chelsea paid off by winning the UEFA Champions League European tournament.
Information to those who allow themselves to make statements in the direction of Abramovich’s unpatriotism: he has done a lot for Russian football. What does it cost to create a fund? National Academy Football." And it was from his own pocket that Roman paid for the invited head coach for our national football team - the famous Dutchman Guus Hiddink.
Scandals related to Abramovich
Big money cannot remain in the shadows. And this is not just idle public interest - the success story of Roman Abramovich is connected with scandalous stories.
It all started in 1992, when the entrepreneur was taken into custody and charged with theft of diesel fuel. A substantial amount was presented - 4 million rubles.
1998 marked another major scandal: the entrepreneur was called a confidant of Boris Yeltsin - it was he who sponsored the politician’s election race. But that’s not all - Roman, it turns out, also paid the expenses of Yeltsin’s daughter and son-in-law.
Forbes Favorite
In prestigious Forbes list The novel first appeared back in 2009. In 2017, he is in 139th place on the global list of billionaires and 13th on the list of rich people in Russia. The oligarch's fortune totals $9.1 billion.
| Name | Price | Interesting details |
|---|---|---|
| Real estate |
| In 2015, Abramovich bought three townhouses in New York for about $68 million, intending to combine them into one complex |
| Eclipse is one of the ultra-modern yachts, having a missile warning system, with a hull made of expensive breeds wood and bulletproof coating. The yacht has Submarine, diving to 50 meters. There is information about other vessels:
|
|
| Cars | The exact cost is unknown | Armored limousines, sports car collection (with Ferrari FXX and Bugatti Veyron) |
| Aircraft |
| In addition to Boeings, there is also an Airbus A340 |
| Art objects | Approximately $1 billion | The most famous recent acquisition is a collection of 40 works by Ilya Kabakov ($60 million). |
Forecasts for Abramovich's condition
Financial experts are trying to convince the public that rumors and arguments about Roman Abramovich's wealth are greatly exaggerated. However, he is still considered one of the top businessmen.
But the same Forbes predicts: the state Russian oligarch maybe in soon fell. This situation began in 2011, when its figures began to decline from $13 billion to today’s figures. And the trend shows no sign of stopping.
The crisis also “helps” with this. Here is an illustrative example: in September 2014, Roman Abramovich failed to carry out an IPO to a commission associated with securities and US exchanges. He tried to act through Evraz North America, where he holds the position of chairman of the board of directors. However, he failed to increase his fortune.
Personal life
The public is no less interested in the personal life of the oligarch than the amount of his fortune. Abramovich had two official marriages. The first wife was Olga Yuryevna Lysova - not much information has been preserved about her, except that she was born in Astrakhan.
The second wife, Malandina Irina Vyacheslavovna, attracted much more attention, former flight attendant. She gave birth to five children to her oligarch husband: three daughters and two sons. But despite the fact that the family now consisted of seven “I,” the couple divorced in 2007. Everything went off without scandals and trials: Roman and Irina themselves resolved the issue of child custody and division of property (by the way, the ex-wife received an amount of $300 million during the divorce).
The vacant position as a life partner for a wealthy groom was quickly filled by designer Daria Zhukova. There was no official registration, but this did not stop the lovers from giving birth to two children - a son and a daughter. At the moment, the couple has also decided to separate, but to raise children together and remain friends.
The paparazzi have now announced real hunt for a possible contender for the oligarch's heart. Among the potential brides they even named British actress Emma Watson, better known to everyone as Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter film saga. Another possible option is a ballerina Mariinsky Theater Diana Vishneva (according to unverified information from the media).
The businessman showed business acumen even during army service
It is believed that Abramovich’s biography is strikingly different from the biographies of most of his neighbors in Russian Forbes.
Mostly large modern politicians and businessmen - children of Soviet party and economic functionaries. And Roman Abramovich seems to fall out of this circle - he was born in 1966 in Saratov (his father’s parents were deported there from Lithuania), and was orphaned early. His mother died when the boy was one and a half years old, and three years later his father died at a construction site.
However, a closer look reveals that Abramovich's wealth is rooted in total Soviet corruption.
Uncle's "son"
In Jewish and Caucasian clans, it is not customary to send children to orphanages - this is a disgrace for the entire clan (the titular nation has a lot to learn here). Therefore, the boy was taken to the Komi Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, where his uncle lived Leiba. The uncle held the position of head of the labor supply department of Pechorles in Ukhta, but later at a family council the relatives decided that it was better for the child to be raised in the capital, and ten-year-old Roma was taken in by his Moscow uncle Abram. So a native of provincial Saratov graduated from a very good school No. 232 in the center of Moscow.
Despite good connections, Abramovich served two years in the army, although not in the most difficult place. The quiet, polite soldier is still remembered by his colleagues in the auto platoon artillery regiment in Kirzhach, Vladimir region, where he served in 1984-86. How can you not remember this!
One day his unit was ordered to cut down a section of forest in short time. Abramovich, skilled in forestry, came up with the idea of dividing this land into squares and... sold it local residents for firewood, warning that they must chop quickly, otherwise the deal could be cancelled.
In addition, Roman tried to get higher education, but doesn't seem to have succeeded in doing so. There are traces of him in the archives of the Ukhta Industrial Institute (back to Uncle Leiba!) - but after the army he did not return there. Later he was spotted in the “kerosene stove” - the Moscow Institute of Oil and Gas. THEM. Gubkin (now - Russian State University of Oil and Gas - ed.), but did not reach the diploma here either. Interesting times were coming, and very unexpected prospects opened up for the young student.
Big game
Where can I spend my time studying? And for a “normal” job too. Abramovich worked briefly as a mechanic at SU No. 122 of the Mosspetsmontazh trust - in the absence of vocational education, his army specialty helped - but after that he was not noticed in any activity “for mere mortals”.
People who knew Abramovich in those years have become surprisingly silent today, but the refrain of their few statements is: “He was interested in everything that could make money.” And, apparently, this “everything” did not always remain within the framework of the Criminal Code.
Roman Arkadyevich himself, however, does not admit any sins to himself, and connects his initial capital with the Uyut cooperative, which produced bright plastic toys for children in the late 1980s. Later, Uyut employees became the backbone of Sibneft managers during the Abramovich era. The toys, according to our hero, sold so well in Moscow clothing markets that he even paid taxes.
“Uyut” was followed by “AVK”, “Company “Supertechnology-Shishmarev”, JSC “Elita”, JSC “Petroltrans”, JSC “GID”, the company “NPR” - all these offices resold petroleum products from the north of Russia, because their uncle’s connections in Komi they worked properly.
True, a small misfire occurred in June 1992, when 25-year-old Roma was arrested - someone stole 55 cars from the Ukhta oil refinery, which was almost his home. diesel fuel, intended for Russian army. But soon the young man was released, and the situation with the carriages remains mysterious to this day. They stole on such a scale back then that there was neither time nor desire to investigate such trifles.
Soon, Abramovich continued his research in the field of oil resale - for example, from 1993 to 1996, he was the head of the Moscow branch of the Swiss company RUNICOM S.A., created specifically to obtain hydrocarbons on the cheap.
Fourth father
Around the same 1993, somewhere on vacation from the labors of the righteous and stone dungeons, Roman met Boris Berezovsky– already an experienced entrepreneur 20 years older. For some time, of course, Berezovsky was his “fourth father” (after Arkady, Leiba and Abram Abramovich). Since 1994 they have become partners.
Berezovsky's political weight was already quite high - and friendship with him actually gave Abramovich a first-class ticket to the Russian business elite.
In 1995-96, friends, using loans-for-shares auctions, acquired the powerful Sibneft for a ridiculous $100 million (in 2011, Abramovich said in court that this happened with violations of the law, as if someone had illusions about this) - and Abramovich became the person we know today.
A quarter of a century after this, Abramovich and Berezovsky in a London court will publicly discuss the meaning of the term krysha - which is what Boris was for Roman.
REFERENCE. It should be emphasized that Roman Abramovich is in no way an oligarch, that is, not a person who, thanks to money, gained power or influence on government (typical examples are Donald Trump, Boris Berezovsky). Unlike most other billionaires, Abramovich was never interested in power at all: he only used his connections for personal commercial purposes. This also includes his Chukotka governorship: it became a kind of social burden for Roman Arkadyevich, but in no case a step towards political career. He was only interested in money.
Let's summarize. The launching pad for Roman Abramovich was the reliable connections of the Jewish clan to which he belongs, the maximum possible disregard for laws under those conditions and, of course, his own ingenuity. He cannot be called self-made - he always relied on someone, used someone, deceived someone. Otherwise, however, in the early 1990s it was impossible to rise.
The news that billionaire Roman Abramovich had problems renewing his British visa came as a complete surprise.
A few weeks ago, after the Skripal case began, Theresa May’s government began talking about tightening the fight against money laundering of dubious origin. According to the British government, the laundering of “dirty” Russian money poses a threat to the country’s security and it does not intend to turn a blind eye to it. However, it was very difficult to imagine that sanctions would affect Abramovich.
How Abramovich became an oligarch
He started his business in the late 80s of the last century. His first company was the Uyut cooperative, which produces children's toys from polymers.
Uyut was followed by AVK, Firm Supertechnology-Shishmarev, JSC Elita, JSC Petroltrans, JSC GID, and NPR - all these companies were engaged in the resale of petroleum products from the north of Russia. During his commercial activities Abramovich has repeatedly attracted the attention of law enforcement agencies.
Going big oil business Roman Abramovich is associated with Boris Berezovsky and the latter’s struggle for ownership of Sibneft OJSC. The years 1995-96 were fruitful for Abramovich: he founded several more companies, which he and Berezovsky used to acquire shares in Sibneft. Roman Abramovich and his partners, using loans-for-shares auctions, acquired the largest oil company Sibneft for $100 million. In 2011, a businessman said in court that privatization took place in violation of the law, and Abramovich became the man we know now.
In 2003, Abramovich purchased the English football club Chelsea for £140 million and actually moved to live in the UK.
In October 2005, he sold his stake (75.7%) to Sibneft to Gazprom for 13.1 billion rubles, after which he became richest businessman Russia.
According to Forbes magazine, his capital currently consists of shares in Evraz (31%), Channel One (24%) and real estate. Together with his partner in Evraz, Alexander Abramov, he owns 5.87% of the shares of Norilsk Nickel.
Why did Abramovich have problems with his visa?
Roman Abramovich had an “investor” visa, which is issued for a period of 40 months for investing more than £2 million in the British economy. Abramovich's visa expires, newspaper reports The Guardian, expired back in April.
Visas of this type were introduced in 2008 during the financial crisis to attract foreign capital. Until November 2014, to qualify for a Tier 1 investor visa, an applicant had to have £1 million, then the amount was increased to £2 million.
On September 1, 2015, new requirements were introduced: invested funds must not be acquired through illegal means. In addition, the authorities must be sure that the money is not used for harm." public good" Perhaps it was precisely this point that the British had questions for Abramovich.
However, on May 23, 2018, it became known that the British authorities did not require the businessman to explain the origin of the capital when collecting documents to extend the investment visa, a source close to the businessman told RIA Novosti. “There were no questions to explain the passage of capital. No additional requirements. The usual renewal process, just longer than usual,” said the agency’s interlocutor.
The richest Russians who settled in the UK
Russian oligarchs living in the UK are widely known for their extravagant lifestyles. The public associates them with expensive London mansions, shares in Premier League football clubs and superyachts.
The most famous among them is Roman Abramovich. He is ranked 13th on the list of the richest people in Britain. The assets of the owner of the Chelsea football club are 9.33 billion pounds.
The ranking also includes Russian businessman Alisher Usmanov, who occupies eighth place on the list. His fortune was estimated at £10.56 billion. Last year, Usmanov ranked 5th in the ranking of the richest residents of Great Britain. Usmanov, who owns 30% of the English football club Arsenal, made his money in steel and mining iron ore. The Russian-born billionaire now lives in London. He also owns Sutton Place, a famous estate located in Surrey that once belonged to billionaire John Paul Getty.
Russian-British relations
Relations between Russia and Great Britain deteriorated sharply against the background of the incident in Salisbury, where a former GRU colonel and his daughter Yulia Skripal were poisoned. London claims that Russia is involved in the poisoning of the Skripals, while the Kremlin categorically denies this.
British Prime Minister Theresa May announced in March the measures that the British government was taking against Russia. In particular, control over Russian citizens arriving in the United Kingdom is being strengthened. The head of the Liberal Democrats, Vince Cable, in turn, referring to the advice Russian Alexey Navalny, proposed to conduct a thorough check and disclose the origin of the assets of businessmen from Russia. In his speech, he mentioned Igor Shuvalov and Alisher Usmanov.
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