The 10 Richest People in Russia

Net worth valuations taken from Forbes magazine, April 2014.  Valuations might have changed slightly since then, but not significantly.

1. Alisher Usmanov
At 61 years old, Usmanov is worth 18.6 billion dollars.

He is Russia's technology king having stakes in telecoms giant "Megafon", social media and internet giant "Mail.ru Group", the technology retailer "Evrosets", software powerhouse "DST Global" as well as stakes in some of the largest international technology companies such as Alibaba. Amongst other things he owns renowned Russian business daily Kommersant and a large stake in one of best football teams in the world; Arsenal Football Club. Usmaov has some commodity exposure through his "metalloinvest" and "USM holdings" companies which own a raft of stakes in metal and mining companies across Russia. 

2. Mikhail Freidman
At 50 years old, Friedman is worth 17.6 billion dollars. 

His prize asset is Alfa Group which he co-founded in 1991. Through Alfa Group Freidman owned half of TNK-BP before selling it to Rosneft in 2013, Russia's second largest supermarket chain "X5 Retail Group", the global telecoms giant "Vimplecomm" and the fourth largest bank in Russia "Alfa Bank". 

Oilfund-tmagArticle-v2.jpg

3. Viktor Vekseberg 
At 57 years old, Vekselberg is worth 17.2 billion dollars.

His holdings company Renova group partnered Freidman's Alfa group in its holding of TNK-BP which he similarly sold in 2013. Renova also owns major stakes in the world's largest aluminium company UC Rusal, Swiss technology giant Oerlikon, Swiss manufacturing giant Sulzer and Swiss metals giant Schmolz-bickenbach. 

4. Vladimir Lesin
At 58 years old, Lesin is worth 16.6 billion dollars.

He owns a majority stake in NLMK one of world's largest Steel companies as well as Russia's largest private cargo transportation company UCL Holdings. Lisin is seen as a one of the world's leading voices on metallurgy having several major patents as well as 100s of academic articles in the field. 

5. Leonid Michelson
At 59 years old, Michelson is worth 15.6 billion dollars. 

He with his business partner Timchenko control the majority of Russia's largest private gas company; Novatek. On top of Novatek he owns a majority stake in gas and chemical processing company Sibur (within which his business partner Timchenko owns a 30% stake). 

6. Gennady Timchenko
At 61, Timchenko is worth 15.3 billion dollars.

As already mentioned he owns a major stake in Novatek. He owns Stroytransgroup a major Russian construction company, Transoil a railway company which transports oil, a stake in Mihailson's Sibur and SoGaz and SoVag insurance companies. Until 2014, he was a major shareholder in Guvnor the world's fourth largest commodity trader.

Incidentally, Timchenko is the only sanctioned person by the West in the top 10. 

0304_russia_billionaires_970-630x420.jpg

7. Vagit Alekperov
At 64, Alekperov is worth 13.6 billion dollars.

Alekperov owns a major stake in Lukoil which is the world's second largest private oil companies by production. Lukoil produces, refines and retails oil in about 40 countries worldwide. 

8. Vladimir Potanin
At 53, Potanin is worth 12.6 billion dollars.

He owns a major stake in metals giant Norilsk Nickel which is the world's largest producer of nickel and palladium, as well as one of the world's largest of copper and platinum. 

9. Andrei Melnichenko
At 42, Melnichenko is the youngest in the top 10 and worth 11.4 billion dollars.

He originally founded MDM bank which became one of the largest in Russia. He owns stakes in EuroChem which is a major fertilizer producer, in TMK which is a leading oil and gas pipeline producer and SUEK a Siberian coal producer. 

10. German Khan
At 52, Khan is worth 11.3 billion dollars.

Khan is the long-time business partner of Freidman and Kuzmichev. Khan is the 2nd largest shareholder with 23%, after Freidman with 36%, in their holding company Alfa group.