Russia has added 15 new billionaires toForbes annual ranking of the worlds richest people over the past year, placing it fifth globally in terms of newcomers.Despite sanctions and the fallout of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin's redistribution of foreign assets and a wave of nationalizations havecreated a new Russian elite.The United States topped the new billionaires list with 103 new billionaires, followed by Germany (37), China and Hong Kong (32) and India (17).The total number of Russian billionaires on the list rose to 146 from 125 a year ago.Vagit Alekperov, founder of the Lukoiloil major, remains the richest Russian with a net worth of $28.7 billion, followed closely by Severstal steel tycoon Alexei Mordashov ($28.6 billion) and the Novatek gas majors chairman Leonid Mikhelson ($28.4 billion), according toForbes.Among the new entrants are Vikram Punia, founder of Pharmasyntez pharmaceutical company ($2.1billion net worth); Alexander Isaev of the Elgaugol coal company ($1.3 billion); and Ludmila Kogan, who inherited her late husbands stake in UralSib bank ($1.3 billion).Also debuting are Miratorg agricultural major founders Alexander and Viktor Linnik ($1.3billion each) and the 1C software companys founder Boris Nuraliev ($1.3 billion).Andrei Filatov and partners Nikita Mishin and Konstantin Nikolaev, all former shareholders of the Globaltrans rail operator, entered the ranking with $1.2billion each.Other notable entries include Alexander Evnevich of the Orimi Group and Tatiana Volodina, former CEO of LEtoile, both with a $1.1 billion net worth.Forbesalso noted that Ivan Tavrin,who entered the ranking in 2023 as the richest Russian newcomer with $2.4 billion, increased his wealth to $4.4 billion in 2024.At the same time, TatianaKim (formerly Bakalchuk), the founder and CEO of Russias largest e-commerce platform Wildberries, remains Russias richest woman with a fortune of $4.6 billion, according to Forbes.
Kim tops the list of Russias richest women for the fifth year in a row.Wildberries has been rocked by the controversy surrounding a merger deal with Russ Group, an outdoor advertising operator that is one-tenth its size.
The dispute saw Kim's now-ex-husband Vladislav Bakalchuk turn to Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov for help in fighting what he described as a hostile takeover of Wildberries.Wildberries announced themerger with Russ Groupin June 2024 as the parties set up a joint venture RVB, in which 65% went to Wildberries and 35% to Stinn LLC (its beneficiaries are the owners of Russ brothers Levan and Robert Mirzoyan, who are linked to billionaire and Dagestan senator Suleiman Kerimov).The other wealthiest Russian women include the main shareholder of Uralsib Bank Lyudmila Kogan and President of Inteco Management Elena Baturina, both of whom have a net worth of $1.3 billion, as well as Lukoil shareholder Yekaterina Fedun, whose fortune is estimated at $1.1 billion.This article first appeared in bne IntelliNews.