Northwestern assets of the richest Russians
Fertilizers, ores, seaports, liquefied gas, steel and carriage building. “Chronicles.Media” based on the annual rating Forbes magazine profiles the ten richest Russians with ties to the North-West .
First place both in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) and in the Northwestern Federal District (NWFD) Andrey Melnichenko ($25.2 billion).
The entrepreneur is under sanctions from the EU, USA and UK. He is also known for the fact that his yacht “A” – one of largest in the world. In 2022 her arrested in Italy as the property of a sanctioned businessman. Melnichenko himself is a citizen of the UAE and lives in Dubai.
Andrey Melnichenko
Melnichenko controls a fertilizer company Eurochem . It supplies its products all over the world. In the Northwestern Federal District, it owns such enterprises in the Leningrad region as EuroChem-North-West and Phosphorit, and in the Murmansk region – Kovdor Mining and Processing Plant.
Second place – again both in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) and in the Northwestern Federal District – Vladimir Potanin ($23.7 billion). He owns the mining and metallurgical company Norilsk Nickel, one of the largest in the world. Forbes magazine wrote that it was Potanin who came up with the privatization mechanism in the 1990s, known as loans-for-shares auctions. According to critics of this mechanism, in this way entrepreneurs of those years, including Potanin, received shares of some of Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism)’s largest enterprises for next to nothing.
Vladimir Potanin
Forbes also wrote that Potanin could get Russian assets of the divided Yandex company. Previously, the businessman had already bought Tinkoff Bank.
Norilsk Nickel owns two large assets in the Murmansk region, united in “Kola Mining and Metallurgical Company” : “Severonickel” in Monchegorsk and “Pechenganikel” in Zapolyarny.
Third place (again both in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) and in the Northwestern Federal District) Vladimir Lisin ($22.1 billion). Despite his wealth and influence, he hit only under Australian sanctions, began as wrote Forbes magazine, together with entrepreneurs Iskander Makhmudov at Trans World Group. Then he took the Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant out of it, which laid the foundation for the businessman’s wealth.
Vladimir Lisin
In the Northwestern Federal District “First Port Company” Lisina belong JSC “Sea Port of St. Petersburg” , CJSC “Container Terminal St. Petersburg” And LLC “Universal transshipment complex” .
Fourth place in the Northwestern Federal District and in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) – at Leonid Mikhelson ($21.6 billion). He is the chairman of the board of the gas production company Novatek, second only to Gazprom. The entrepreneur’s partner in this business is Gennady Timchenko. Novatek also participated in the preparation of the SVO in Ukraine.
Leonid Mikhelson
Mikhelsonovsky “Novatek” invests 120 billion rubles in “Center for the construction of large-capacity offshore structures” in the village of Belokamenka, Murmansk region. We are talking about a shipyard for the production and shipment of liquefied natural gas. At the same time, the existing similar project Arctic LNG-2 is experiencing difficulties due to sanctions, so Novatek was forced declare force majeure for some buyers.
Fifth place in the Northwestern Federal District and Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) – Alexey Mordashov ($20.9 billion). The first in this ranking to become rich through business in his native region. The entrepreneur was born in Cherepovets, where the base enterprise of Mordashov’s Severstal company, Cherepovets Metallurgical Plant, is located.
Alexey Mordashov
Severstal also works in the Northwestern Federal District “Olenegorsky Mining and Processing Plant” in the Murmansk region and “Karelian pellet” in Kostomuksha in Karelia.
Sixth place in the Northwestern Federal District and the seventh in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) at the above-mentioned Gennady Timchenko ($18.5 billion). He got rich , trading Russian oil. Now the entrepreneur is a shareholder of Novatek and a petrochemical company “Sibur” . The businessman also controls a construction company Stroytransgaz . In addition, Timchenko, through the Transoil company, controls 7.8% of the St. Petersburg Rossiya Bank. European Union noted that this institution is the personal bank of high-ranking Russian officials.
Gennady Timchenko
USA turned on Timchenko was added to the sanctions list in 2014 as a person from the inner circle of Russian President Vladimir Putin (*international criminal).
Seventh place and 11 in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) Vyacheslav Kantor ($11.3 billion). The entrepreneur is a major collector of Jewish fine art. In 2001 he created “Museum of Avant-Garde Art” . Kantor is the main shareholder of the mineral fertilizer manufacturer of the group of companies “Akron” . The main enterprise of the group is located in Veliky Novgorod. Company positions itself the largest employer in the region. Also in the village of Koashva, Murmansk region, the North-Western Phosphorus Company operates.
Vyacheslav Kantor
Eighth place and ranks 15th in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) Andrey Guryev with family ($9.7 billion). Once upon a time he was companion of the now disgraced entrepreneur Mikhail Khodorkovsky. After the criminal prosecution of Khodorkovsky, Guryev gained control over one of his former enterprises – OJSC “Apatit” in Kirovsk, Murmansk region. The company has become the main asset of the Phosagro holding, which produces fertilizers. Guryev also owns in Cherepovets, Vologda region JSC “Apatit” (with a branch in Volkhov Leningrad region), PhosAgro-Trans and JSC NIUIF im. Professor Ya. V. Samoilov” .
Andrey Guryev
Ninth place and 21 in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) Iskander Makhmudov ($7.3 billion). Founder “Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company” and “Transmashinholding” , producing railway transport. Among the company’s products, for example, are carriages metro for Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sofia, Budapest, Baku and Tashkent. Electric trains and rail buses of the company are exploited in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism), Mongolia, Lithuania, Serbia, Armenia and Kazakhstan. Railway carriages holding can be seen in Ukraine, Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Mongolia and Egypt.
Iskander Makhmudov
Transmashholding includes the St. Petersburg-based “Oktyabrsky Electric Car Repair Plant” .
Finally, tenth place and ranks 24 in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) Victor Vekselberg ($6.8 billion). The businessman, who became famous throughout the world for purchasing nine Faberge Easter eggs, started with oil and aluminum. Now the range of his interests is wider: from energy to Internet providers.
Victor Vekselberg
If you add up the fortunes of the listed billionaires, you get $167.1 billion. To understand, this is more than six times higher than the budgets of all 11 regions of the Northwestern Federal District for 2024, including the budget of the richest region – St. Petersburg.
The total fortune of the 25 richest businessmen from Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) in 2023 increased by $50.01 billion, calculated agency “Prime” based on Bloomberg Billionaires Index . As of January 2, their total wealth was $328.53 billion.
The number of Russian billionaires in the Forbes world ranking has grown per year from 110 to 125 people. The previous record for the number of Russians on the list of the world’s richest entrepreneurs was recorded in 2021 – 123 people.
