ABRAMOVICH, ROMAN ARKADYEVICH

(1966– )

Oligarch. Born into aJewishfamily in the provincial capital ofSaratov, Abramovich was orphaned as a young child. As a result, he lived with his relatives in various parts of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), includingKomiin the RussianFar North. He left university studies before obtaining a degree, though he later earned a correspondence degree from Moscow State Law Academy.In the late 1980s, whenMikhailGorbachev’sperestroikareforms permitted private enterprises, Abramovich began his business career specializing in black market goods before moving into theoiltrade. In 1995, together withBoris Berezovsky, he acquired a controlling interest in the Sibneft oil company through the controversialloans for sharesprogram. Through Berezovsky, he also developed a relationship withBorisYeltsin’s inner circle, known as “the Family,” and was particularly close toTatyana Dyachenko. Abramovich and Berezovsky later fell out over business dealings. Eventually, Abramovich’s business empire grew to includeAeroflotairlines, aluminum plants, automobile manufacturers, a television station, food processing companies, real estate firms, and other concerns. Indicted in several trials and fraud investigations, Abramovich has always managed to avoid conviction. In 2002, he acquired immunity from persecution by becoming an elected governor ofChukotka. During his tenure as governor (2000–2008), he invested over a billion dollars into the region, boosting local incomes and curbingunemployment. In 2005, he sold a lump share of Sibneft to the state-ownedGazprom. That year, he was reappointed as Chukotka’s governor by PresidentVladimir Putin, with whom he reportedly had a close working relationship. Abramovich resigned his governorship immediately afterDmitry Medvyedevwas inaugurated in 2008. Ranked as one of the world’s richest figures according toForbesmagazine, Abramovich owns property in Russia and Europe, and mainly resides inGreat Britain, where he is considered to be the second-richest person. He owns Millhouse Capital, a Britishregistered investment fund that manages his vast holdings. He also owns Chelsea Football Club, an English premiership football team, which accounts for his global fame. He frequently appears in the British and Russian tabloid press in relation to his extensive personal security detail, taste for fine art, and massive expenditures on cars, homes, and yachts.