The 10 Richest Russians in the World in 2022

Despite the sanctions and the Russian economy’s relatively weak performance in recent years, plenty of wealthy Russians is still there. There are currently over 70 billionaires in Russia. The billionaires on this list are ranked according to their estimated net worth in US dollars. Below are the ten richest Russians in the world in 2022.

10. Gennady Timchenko – US$10.3 B

Gennady Timchenko is a Russian billionaire businessman interested in oil trading, petrochemicals, timber, construction, and mining. He is the co-founder of Gunvor, one of the world’s leading independent commodity trading companies. Throughout his life, he has been a close friend and associate of Vladimir Putin, and this relationship is believed to be one of the reasons for his success. His wealth comes from various sources, but the majority is derived from his ownership stake in Gunvor.

9. Mikhail Fridman – US$ 12.9 B

Mikhail Fridman is a Ukrainian-born Russian billionaire businessman. He is the founder of Alfa-Bank, LetterOne, and the Alfa Group. Fridman also has a stake in Genesis Philanthropy Group and Alfa Eco. As of 2022, his net worth is estimated to be 12.9 billion USD, making him one of the wealthiest Russian in the world. In addition to his business ventures, Fridman is also a philanthropist and has been active in Jewish causes. He is one of the founders of the Russian Jewish Congress, which supports Jewish culture and education.

8. Pavel Durov – US$15.1 B

Pavel Durov is a Russian entrepreneur and the CEO of Telegram messenger. He founded VKontakte, one of the largest social networking sites in Russia. Durov has been compared to Mark Zuckerberg and is often referred to as the Russian Mark Zuckerberg. Durov was born in 1984 in Leningrad, Soviet Union, and is the son of Valery Durov, a well-known mathematician, and Albina Durova, a Ph.D. holder in philology. Durov has a brother, Nikolai, who is also an entrepreneur.

7. Andrey Melnichenko – US$15.8 B

Andrey Melnichenko is a Russian billionaire industrialist and entrepreneur. He is the founder and owner of Industrial Group “SUEK,” one of the largest coal companies in the world. As of 2021, Melnichenko’s net worth is $15.8 billion. Melnichenko was born in Gomel, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union (now Belarus) in 1972. He attended Plekhanov Russian Economic University, where he studied economics. After graduation, Melnichenko began his career in the banking industry. He later joined MDM Bank, where he eventually became the Chairman of the Board. Over the years, Melnichenko has acquired several businesses in the metals and mining, agriculture, power generation, and transportation industries.

6. Alisher Usmanov – US$ 19.5 B

Born in 1953 in Uzbekistan, Alisher Usmanov is a Russian business magnate and investor. He is the majority shareholder of USM Holdings, which has investments in mining, telecommunications, technology, media, and sports. According to Wikipedia, he also owns MegaFon, one of Russia’s largest mobile phone operators, and holds a stake in Arsenal Football Club. Usmanov is estimated to be worth US$ 19.5 billion as of 2022.

5. Vagit Alekperov -US$19.6 B

Born in 1950, Vagit Alekperov is a Russian businessman who is currently the chairman of the supervisory board of Basic Element Company. He is also a former Soviet and Russian oil executive. Alekperov has a degree in engineering from the Azerbaijan State Oil Academy. Vagit got his richness from his career in the oil industry. He started working at an oil field in Western Siberia in 1976, and he became the deputy head of one of the Soviet Union’s largest oil and gas companies, Lukoil. He then went on to become the company’s president in 1991. Alekperov has a net worth of $19.6 billion as of 2022.

4. Alexei Mordashov – US$21.2 B

The next billionaire on the list is Alexei Mordashov, the majority shareholder of Severstal, one of the largest steel and mining companies in Russia. He has a net worth of $21.2 billion. Mordashov started his career in the 1980s as a trainee engineer at a steel plant in Cherepovets. He later studied at the Leningrad Engineering-Economical Institute and Northumbria University. In 1992, he created a financial and industrial group called Severstal, which acquired several steel plants in Russia. The company went public in 2007 and is now one of the largest steel producers in the world. Mordashov is also a member of the board of directors of several large Russian companies, including Gazprom, Novatek, and Sberbank. In addition to his business interests, Mordashov is also a keen sportsman and has competed in several Olympic Games.

3. Vladimir Potanin – US $24.4 B

Vladimir Potanin is a Russian billionaire businessman and one of the wealthiest people in Russia. He is the president of Norilsk Nickel, the world’s largest nickel and palladium producer. As of April 2021, he has a net worth of US$24.4 billion. According to Wikipedia, Potanin was born in 1961 in Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union. He graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 1986. He began his career in the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Trade. In 1991, he co-founded the investment bank Interros with Mikhail Prokhorov. Over the years, he has acquired several large stakes in Russian companies, including Norilsk Nickel and Gazprom. He is also the owner of the ski resort Rosa Khutor and the hockey team HC Sochi.

2. Vladimir Sergeyevich Lisin – US$ 26.6 B

Chairman and majority shareholder of Novolipetsk Steel, one of the largest steel producers in Russia. In addition to his steel business, Lisin also has interests in coal, shipping, and railroads. His wealth comes from dividends, share sales, and asset swaps. In recent years, one of his main focuses has been increasing Novolipetsk Steel’s presence in China.

1. Leonid Mikhelson – US$34.5 B

Chairman and CEO of Novatek, Leonid Mikhelson, is the fourth richest Russian in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$34.5 billion as of 2022. A self-made billionaire, Mikhelson started his career as a welder in a gas pipeline construction company before becoming one of the significant shareholders of Novatek, Russia’s second-largest gas producer. Mikhelson is a shrewd and tough negotiator and was instrumental in helping Novatek secure many important deals in recent years. According to Wikipedia, he is also the owner of several other businesses, including a controlling stake in Sibur, Russia’s largest petrochemical company.