[27], In 2011, Abramovich's longtime business partner filed a civil suit, Berezovsky v Abramovich,[37] in the High Court of Justice in London. [7][167], In 2009, he bought 16 Kensington Palace Gardens in London, a 15-bedroom mansion, for 90 million. [185] In 2014, he hired English singer Robbie Williams to headline a New Year's dinner for Vladimir Putin's "inner circle". Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich was born on 24 October 1966 in Saratov, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (present-day Saratov, Russia). [32][33][34][35] After Sibneft, Abramovich's next target was the aluminium industry.

[74], "Everyone's got their own reason. [28][29][27] Abramovich later admitted in court that he paid billions of dollars of bribes to government officials and gangsters to acquire and protect his assets. It later emerged that Gloster's stepson had been paid almost 500,000 to represent Abramovich as a barrister early in the case.

[24], According to two different sources, Abramovich first met Berezovsky either at a meeting with the Russian businessmen in 1993[25] or in the summer of 1995. Badri Patarkatsishvili, a close acquaintance of Berezovsky, was also present and secretly had the conversation recorded.

Some believe it's because I spent some of my childhood in the far north that I helped Chukotka, some believe it's because I had a difficult childhood that I helped Chukotka, some believe it's because I stole money that I helped Chukotka.

Though Reuters noted that there is little known history of Sephardi Jews in Russia,[127] Abramovich had donated money to projects honouring the legacy of Portuguese Sephardic Jews in Hamburg, Germany. Biography. The judge found Berezovsky to be "an unimpressive, and inherently unreliable witness, who regarded truth as a transitory, flexible concept, which could be moulded to suit his current purposes", whereas Abramovich was seen as "a truthful, and on the whole, reliable witness". She found Berezovsky to be "an inherently unreliable witness" and sided with Abramovich in 2012.

According to Forbes, Abramovich's loan is insurance in case the British government considers sanctioning him due to his close relationship with the Putin regime in Russia. This stopped for a time in early 2007, when press reports appeared of a feud between Abramovich and manager Mourinho regarding the performance of certain players such as Andriy Shevchenko. Once there, FedPol investigators expressed suspicions and opposed the request. Abramovich was initially hesitant to enter into the aluminium business, claiming that "every three days someone was murdered in that business". In August 1995, Boris Yeltsin decreed the creation of Sibneft, of which Abramovich and Berezovsky were thought to be top executives. [181] Both exhibits were organized by the Moscow House of Photography. [7] He also gave a substantial donation for the rehabilitation of the Jewish cemetery of Altona, now a neighborhood in the city of Hamburg.

Bellingcat investigated the allegation and said that chocolate or water that the three had consumed may have been laced with poison; experts took samples of the substance but were unable to identify the type of material used owing to the passage of time. [82]:135 When Putin formed his first cabinet as Prime Minister in 1999, Abramovich interviewed each of the candidates for cabinet positions before they were approved. [47], In June 2003, Abramovich became the owner of the companies that control Chelsea in West London. Mr Abramovich denies that he helped himself to Mr Berezovsky's interests in Sibneft and aluminium or that he threatened a friend of the exile. He ran for a second term as governor in 2005. None of these is real. [90] He is one of the Navalny 35. Following an investigation, Abramovich was cleared by UEFA of having a conflict of interest. [133] In the summer of 2020, Abramovich sold the gold miner Highland Gold to Vladislav Sviblov. [66] On 12 March, the Premier League disqualified Abramovich as a director of Chelsea Football Club.

It also funds training programs for coaches, prints instruction materials, renovates sports facilities and takes top coaches and students on trips to visit professional football clubs in England, the Netherlands and Spain. [22] He has traded in timber, sugar, food stuffs and other products. in 20 Israeli start-ups ranging from medicine and renewable energy, to social media. In 1999, the 33-year-old Abramovich was elected governor of the Russian province of Chukotka. The party took place in Moscow and appears to have been the inspiration for Williams' song "Party Like a Russian". [156], Abramovich was recognized by the Forum for Jewish Culture and Religion for his contribution of more than $500 million to Jewish causes in Russia, the US, Britain, Portugal, Lithuania, Israel and elsewhere over the past 20 years. Abramovich's lawyers later claimed that "legalisation" meant structuring protection payments to Berezovsky to ensure they complied with Western antimoney-laundering regulations.[42][43]. Mr Abramovich was also willing to pay off Mr Patarkatsishvili. His tenure has also been marked by rapid turnover in managers.

In December 1987, following a brief stint in the Soviet Army, he married Olga Yurevna Lysova;[24] they divorced in 1990. [82]:135,271, Chris Hutchins, a biographer of Putin, described the relationship between the Russian president and Abramovich as like that between a father and a favourite son. [110], According to The Conversation, "Roman Abramovich, who made most of his $19 billion fortune trading oil and gas, was the biggest polluter on our list" of most polluting billionaires, estimating "that he was responsible for at least 33,859 metric tons of CO2 emissions in 2018 more than two-thirds from his yacht. "The defendant agreed to pay this amount on the basis that it would be the final request for payment by Mr Berezovsky and that he and Mr Patarkatsishvili would cease to associate themselves publicly with him and his business interests." The Abramoviches replied that neither had consulted attorneys at that point. [63] On 26 February 2022, during the Russo-Ukrainian War, Abramovich handed over "stewardship and care" of Chelsea FC to the Chelsea Charitable Foundation. [120] Abramovich had been travelling in and out of the UK for years on a Tier-1 investor visa, designed for wealthy foreigners who invest at least 2 million in Britain. According to Forbes, Abramovich's net worth was US$14.5billion in 2021,[3] making him the second-richest person in Israel, the eleventh-richest in Russia and the richest person in Portugal. [44][45] Other partners include several well-known people from the music industry, among them David Guetta, Nicki Minaj, Tisto, Avicii, will.i.am, Benny Andersson, Dave Holmes (manager of Coldplay) and others. [52] UEFA responded to the precarious profit/loss landscape of clubs, some owned by billionaires, but others simply financial juggernauts like Real Madrid, with Financial Fair Play regulations. [131] Prior to the 2008 financial crisis, he was considered to be the second richest person living within the United Kingdom. The Russian government spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Abramovich took part in the negotiations "at the initial stage". [128][127] However, on 11 March 2022, the leader of the Jewish Community in Porto, Rabbi Daniel Litvak, was arrested by Portuguese police at Porto airport amid allegations that certification of Sephardi Jewish origin had been issued corruptly in several cases.

Berezovsky stated, "Sometimes I have the impression that Putin himself wrote this judgment". Abramovich headed the Moscow affiliate of the Swiss firm, Runicom S.A. [7] Abramovich filed an application for a residence permit in the canton of Valais in July 2016, a tax-friendly home to successful businessmen, and planned to transfer his tax residency to the Swiss municipality. Moscow Rich in Russia . [92][93] Abramovich had his UK assets frozen and a travel ban was put in place. [26], Berezovsky and Abramovich registered an offshore company, Runicom Ltd., with five subsidiaries. In 1999, Abramovich was elected to the State Duma as the representative for the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, an impoverished region in the Russian Far East. [182], In May 2008, Abramovich emerged as a major buyer in the international art auction market. Abramovich was set to invest hundreds of millions of pounds for the construction of the stadium. "Historically it's been alleged that Kick It Out was formed to fight racism against black players and coaches. The Kremlin press service reported that Abramovich's name had been sent for approval as governor for another term to Chukotka's local parliament, which confirmed his appointment on 21 October 2005. [168], For $74 million, Abramovich purchased four Upper East Side townhouses in Manhattan in New York City; 9, 11, 13, and 15 East 75th Street. In 2006 the Academy of Football took over the administration of the Konoplyov football academy at Primorsky, near Togliatti, Samara Oblast, where over 1,000 youths are in residence, following the death at 38 of its founder, Yuri Konoplev. In 2007, Putin consulted in meetings with Abramovich on the question of who should be his successor as president; Medvedev was personally recommended by Abramovich. The aircraft has the same air missile avoidance system as Air Force One. [23] In 1992, he was arrested and sent to prison in a case of theft of government property.

After a three-year legal saga, in 2021 Swiss authorities cleared Abramovich of any suspicion. [67], On 7 May 2022, Chelsea announced that a new ownership group led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital have agreed on the terms to acquire the club.[68]. [159] Abramovich donates money to the Chabad movement[160] and along with Michael Kadoorie and Jacob Safra, is one of the main benefactors of the Portuguese Jewish community and of B'nai B'rith International Portugal. [53], Abramovich is present at nearly every Chelsea game and shows visible emotion during matches, a sign taken by supporters to indicate a genuine love for the sport, and usually visits the players in the dressing room following each match. His mother, Irina, was a music teacher who died when Abramovich was one years old.

[183], His former wife Dasha Zhukova manages the Garage Center for Contemporary Culture a gallery of contemporary art in Moscow that was initially housed in the historical Bakhmetevsky Bus Garage building by Konstantin Melnikov. [21] He and his first wife, Olga, set up a company making dolls. They all recovered quickly. [115], On 15 October 2006, the News of the World reported that Irina had hired two top UK divorce lawyers, following reports of Abramovich's close relationship with the then 25-year-old Dasha Zhukova, daughter of a prominent Russian oligarch, Alexander Zhukov. [184], In 2011, Abramovich hired the Red Hot Chili Peppers to perform at his estate in Baie de Gouverneur in St. In 1940, the Soviet Union (USSR) annexed Lithuania. He accused Abramovich of blackmail, breach of trust and breach of contract. It is believed that he invested over US$1.3billion (925million) in the region. The father, mother and children Leib, Abram and Aron (Arkady) were in different cars. [38] These events are described in greater detail above .mw-parser-output div.crossreference{padding-left:0}(see Relationship with Boris Berezovsky and Badri Patarkatsishvili). [91], Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, on March 10, 2022 Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK as part of a group of seven Russian oligarchs. Also high were Abramovich's spending regarding purchases of Portuguese football players. [64], Abramovich released an official statement on 2 March 2022 confirming that he was selling the club due to the ongoing situation in Ukraine. [citation needed], In May 2018, Abramovich became an Israeli citizen a month after the UK delayed renewing his visa.

The suit sought over 3 billion in damages. Abramovich has said that when he addresses Putin he uses the Russian language's formal "" (like Spanish "usted" or German "Sie"), as opposed to the informal "" (like Spanish "t" or German "du"). The organization sponsors youth sports programs throughout the country and has constructed more than fifty football pitches in various cities and towns. [121][122], Abramovich owns the Varsano boutique hotel in the Neve Tzedek neighborhood of Tel Aviv, Israel, which he bought for 100 million NIS in 2015 from Israeli actress and model Gal Gadot's husband Yaron Varsano and Varsano's brother Guy. After privatisation, the "aluminium wars" led to murders of smelting plant managers, metals traders and journalists as groups battled for control of the industry. [129][130], According to Forbes, as of March 2016, Abramovich had a net worth of US$7.6billion, ranking him as the 155th richest person in the world. [24], In 1995, Abramovich and Berezovsky acquired a controlling interest in the large oil company Sibneft in a rigged auction. [55] On 15 July 2018, the renewal of Abramovich's British visa by the Home Office, and his subsequent withdrawal of the application, in May 2018 Chelsea halted plans to build a 500m stadium in south-west London due to the "unfavourable investment climate" and the lack of assurances about Abramovich's immigration status. I haven't seen anything worse than what I saw there in my life. [102] A spokesman for Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he had no information about a suspected poisoning.[103]. In May 2005, CSKA won the UEFA Cup, becoming the first Russian club ever to win a major European football competition.

[136], Abramovich has reportedly donated more money to charity than any other living Russian. The competition was widely scrutinized for encouraging greediness among the richer, larger football clubs, which would have undermined the significance of existing football competitions;[citation needed][62] however, just two days later, Abramovich pulled the club out of the new competition, with other English clubs following suit, causing the league to suspend operations.

[108], According to Putin, Abramovich has been cheated by Ukrainian-Cypriot-Israeli oligarch Igor Kolomoyskyi.

[71], Abramovich also played a large role in bringing Guus Hiddink to Russia to coach the Russia national football team. Abramovich was the first person to recommend to Yeltsin that Vladimir Putin be his successor as the Russian president. How to Make a Billion Dollars Roman Abramovich, "The Biography of the Great Oil Tycoon Roman Abramovich", "Battle of the oligarchs the amazing showdown between Roman", "Berezovsky v Abramovich: How Roman Abramovich made his fortune", "Roman Abramovich is no longer Chukotka's governor", Shy orphan who rose to join Russia's super-rich, "Roman Abramovich: New evidence highlights corrupt deals", "Chelsea owner admits he paid out billions in bribes", Roman Abramovich admits paying out billions on political favours, OAO Siberian Oil Company (Sibneft) Company History, Russia, Economy, Putin, Oligarchs, Loans for Shares JRL 93005, Russia, Oil, Gazprom, Sibneft JRL 92905, "Abramovich Says He Feared Russia's Murderous Aluminum Trade", "Berezovsky v Abramovich Action 2007 Folio 942", "Roman Abramovich Wins Court Battle Against Berezovsky", "Roman Abramovich is a "gangster", court told", "Berezovsky v Abramovich trial: Timeline", "Evidence in Oligarch Case Makes New Link", "Roman Abramovich firm linked to Russian gangsters", Abramovich leads $30m round in OD Kobo's music start-up, Music Messenger, the App That Nicki Minaj and David Guetta Invested In, Is Exploding -- Here's Why, "Abramovich leads $30 million investment round in Music Messenger app", "Roman Abramovich invests $10m in StoreDot", "Roman Abramovich receives apology from HarperCollins over Putin claims", "Rummenigge hits out over Chelsea's massive spending", "Roman Abramovich Calm About Chelsea's Record Losses", "Reinado 'louco' de Abramovich no Chelsea: Agora so 120 milhes por Lukaku", "Instability at Chelsea could force me to leave, says Mourinho", "Chelsea's new 500m stadium gets green light from London mayor", "Abramovich's Chelsea FC shelves plan for 500m football stadium", "Chelsea halts stadium plans in latest Abramovich uncertainty", "Russian Billionaire Abramovich Sues Author Catherine Belton for Defamation", "Roman Abramovich sues HarperCollins over Chelsea acquisition claims", "Russia tycoon sues publisher and Reuters reporter over Putin book", "Roman Abramovich settles libel claim over Putin biography", "Man Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Man City, and Tottenham agree to join European Super League", "Roman Abramovich Has Sanction Insurance: A $2 Billion Loan To Chelsea FC", "Abramovich hands 'stewardship and care of Chelsea' to charitable foundation", "UK freezes assets of Abramovich, six other Russian oligarchs", "Roman Abramovich: Premier League disqualifies Chelsea owner as director of club", "Abramovich's Soccer Interests Cleared by Uefa", Sibneft ends CSKA Moscow sponsorship deal ESPN FC, Australia & PSV Coach Guus Hiddink Recommended To Russia Football Union By Chelsea Owner Roman Abramovich, Who Will Pay Wages, "Russia reaps rewards of visionary school", "Inside the hidden world of Roman's empire", "Russia's Putin Awards Order of Honor to Abramovich", "Abramovich quits job in Siberia to spend more time on Western front", "Roman Abramovich's Abrupt Transformation From 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Diaspora Widening", "Kremlin confirms Roman Abramovich's role in Ukraine-Russia negotiations", "Roman Abramovich and Ukrainian Peace Negotiators Suffer Symptoms of Suspected Poisoning", "Roman Abramovich 'had symptoms of poisoning', "Ukraine war latest: Russia plans to curb entry from 'unfriendly' states - LavrovRussian oligarch Roman Abramovich suffered suspected poisoning, reports say", "Abramovich suffered suspected poisoning at talks", "Abramovich, Ukrainian Peace Negotiators Suffer Poisoning Symptoms WSJ", The Times: "Roman Abramovich admits paying out billions on political favours", Chelsea boss linked to $4.8bn loan scandal, "European bank sues Abramovich over 9.4m 'debt', "Evraz Accused of Breaking Russian Antitrust Laws", "Press conference on the situation in Ukraine", "Roman Abramovich among 'dirty dozen' people with biggest stakes in coal", "Private planes, mansions and superyachts: What gives billionaires like Musk and Abramovich such a massive carbon footprint", "Abbandonata dal marito, Galina Berezovskij si consola con 227 milioni di euro", Miami Newsday: "Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich celebrates birth of his seventh child, his second with model Daria Zhukova", "School of General Studies Class Day Ceremony - Columbia University", "The Russian elite daughters of Putin's inner circle slam his invasion of Ukraine", "Abramovich is 'deeply hurt' by claims his wife wants a divorce", "Meeting Dasha Zhukova, Roman Abramovich's girl", "Goodnight Irina: Abramovich settles for mere 155m", "Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich splits from wife", "Roman Abramovich's UK visa delayed after government orders review of wealthy Russians in Britain", "Roman Abramovich becomes an Israeli citizen a month after his UK visa was delayed", "Forget the pledges to act London is still a haven for dirty Russian money", "Roman Abramovich to take out Israeli citizenship report", "Roman Abramovich buys Herzliya home for NIS 226m exclusive", "Roman Abramovich gives over 14m to Israeli hospital for nuclear medicine research", "Roman Abramovich cleared of all suspicions in Switzerland", "Chelsea owner Abramovich gets Portuguese citizenship", "Roman Abramovich gains EU citizenship via Portuguese passport", "Rabino que fez de Abramovich portugus tem mais de 3 milhes depositados em bancos", "Rabino que certificou nacionalidade de Abramovich detido pela PJ", "Abramovich looks to Gulf for Chelsea buyer", " : 40% Highland Gold", Highland Gold, "Forbes World's Billionaire List: The Richet in 2021", "Chelsea's Abramovich scores on Rich List", "Sunday Times Rich List 2012: Wealth of richest grows to record levels", "Rupert Murdoch makes Roman Abramovich 'an offer' to buy his newspaper titles", "The Sunday Times Rich List, 2013 (annotated)", "2013 Forbes Billionaires list: Record number of new entries appear on rich list, but Carlos Slim and Bill Gates still top the charts", "Here is the list of Britain's 25 richest people", "Rags To Richest 2015: Billionaires Despite the Odds", "These are the top 25 richest people in Britain", "These are the 25 richest people in Britain", "These are the 19 richest people in Britain", "Most Charitable Russian Abramovich Leads Billionaires", "The charitable side of Roman Abramovich", "Roman Abramovich's $5 Million Gift Is The Latest Donation From Billionaires Fighting Hate Crimes", "Descendants of Jews who died centuries ago in Altona will rehabilitate the local cemetery", "Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich to fund Israeli coexistence football project", "Billionaire Tracker: Actions The World's Wealthiest Are Taking In Response To The Coronavirus Pandemic", "Chelsea FC joins Anti-Defamation League in partnership", "Chelsea keep faith in anti-discrimination projects despite rise in abuse", "Chelsea to continue anti-discrimination projects despite anti-Semitism rise", "Antisemitism in European soccer on the rise", "Roman Abramovich hastily selling UK properties, MP claims", "Roman Abramovich $180M UES "Urban Castle" 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entertained top Putin aide", Abramovich's profile and assets on Russian Asset Tracker, Pravda: Chelsea's owner Roman Abramovich tops Russia's richest men list, Economic history of the Russian Federation, The Oligarchs: Wealth and Power in the New Russia, Faceted Application of Subject Terminology, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Roman_Abramovich&oldid=1098019413, Third convocation members of the State Duma (Russian Federation), Russian businesspeople in the oil industry, Recipients of the Order of Honour (Russia), Russian businesspeople in the United Kingdom, Israeli expatriates in the United Kingdom, Portuguese expatriates in the United Kingdom, Kutafin Moscow State Law University alumni, CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown, CS1 European Portuguese-language sources (pt-pt), Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing Russian-language text, All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from February 2022, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2021, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 13 July 2022, at 20:44. [163], During Abramovich's ownership of the club, Chelsea agreed to a three-year partnership with the Anti-Defamation League to expand their Center on Extremism. Additionally, an official in the Ukrainian president's office, Ihor Zhovkva, informed the BBC that while he hadn't spoken to Mr Abramovich, participants of the Ukrainian delegation were "fine" and one had said the story was "false". Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich (Russian: , pronounced[rman rkadjvt brmovt]; Hebrew: ' '; born 24 October 1966)[1] is a Russian oligarch, businessman, philanthropist and politician. Following the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal, British authorities delayed the renewal of his visa, as tensions rose between the UK and Russia. Abramovich is the Chairman of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia, and a trustee of the Moscow Jewish Museum. Abramovich had it refitted it to his own requirements by Andrew Winch, who designed the interior and exterior. [17] He first worked as a street-trader, and then as a mechanic at a local factory. "[85], Gloster oversaw the case between Russian oligarchs Boris Berezovsky and Abramovich. [4][5] Abramovich enriched himself in the years following the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, obtaining Russian state-owned assets at prices far below market value in Russia's controversial loans-for-shares privatisation program. Abramovich, who is Russian Jewish, exercised his right under Israel's Law of Return, which states that Jews from anywhere in the world can become citizens of Israel. [29]:102 Subsequently, Abramovich would remain one of Putin's closest confidants. [156] Between 2009 and 2013, Abramovich donated more than US$2.5 billion to build schools, hospitals and infrastructure in Chukotka.

In 2011, Boris Berezovsky brought a civil case against Abramovich, called Berezovsky v Abramovich,[37] in the High Court of Justice in London, but Berzovsky was unsuccessful in the case. [112][113] His eldest daughter Anna is a graduate of Columbia University and lives in New York City,[114] and his daughter Sofia is a professional equestrian who lives in London after graduating from Royal Holloway, University of London.