Famous Russian Entrepreneurs

Roman Abramovich is an Israeli-Russian businessman and politician. Over the years, he has played an influential role as the primary owner of Millhouse LLC and as the owner of the popular Premier League football club Chelsea F.C. Roman Abramovich is one of the richest persons in the world and has donated over US$2.5 billion to various charitable causes between 1999 and 2013.

Mikhail Khodorkovsky is a Russian businessman and philanthropist. Currently, he is in exile and lives in London. In 2003, he was believed to be the wealthiest man in Russia. The same year, he was arrested by Russian authorities and charged with fraud. President Vladimir Putin pardoned him in 2013, following which he left on his exile. 

Mikhail Prokhorov is a Russian billionaire, former owner of the American professional basketball team Brooklyn Nets, and politician. One of Russia's most prominent industrialists, Prokhorov is credited with helping Norilsk Nickel become the largest producer of palladium and nickel in the world. 

Oleg Deripaska is a Russian industrialist. He is credited with founding one of the country's largest industrial groups, Basic Element. Also known for his philanthropic efforts, Deripaska is credited with establishing Russia's largest charitable foundation, Volnoe Delo Foundation. A humanitarian, Oleg Deripaska donated money during the COVID-19 pandemic to build hospitals in Siberia.

Russian businessman and investor Dmitry Rybolovlev owned the potash producer Uralkali and has been the president of Monaco's football club AS Monaco since 2011. A qualified doctor, he previously worked in a local hospital before entering the world of business. As a businessman, he has made billions of dollars. He has been involved in multiple controversies as well.

Russian business-tycoon, engineer, mathematician and government official Boris Berezovsky is counted among the famed Russian oligarchs who made their fortunes during the 1990s, when Russia was going through privatization of state property. He remained a vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin since the latter’s election as president in 2000 and was granted political asylum by the UK in 2003.

Arkadiy Abramovich is the son of Russian billionaire businessman and politician Roman Abramovich and his former wife,  Irina Abramovich (née Malandina), a former Aeroflot stewardess. The young man is the founder and owner of ARA Capital, a private investment company. He is also the founder of a vegetable farming company called Greenhouse and has acquired Royal Atlantic Energy (Cyprus) Limited. 

Apart from being the official jeweler of the Russian imperial court, Peter Carl Fabergé also created some of the most innovative jewelry designs, such as the iconic Fabergé eggs. He had also launched workshops in London, Moscow, and Kiev. Later, hounded by the revolutionary government, he fled to Switzerland.

Sergei Diaghilev was a Russian ballet impresario, patron, and art critic. He is credited with founding the popular ballet company Ballets Russes, which has produced some of the greatest and popular choreographers and dancers like Tamara Karsavina, Lydia Sokolova, Serge Lifar, and Alicia Markova. Sergei Diaghilev is remembered for placing the needs of his company and dancers above his own.

Vagit Alekperov is a Russian-Azerbaijani entrepreneur best known for his service as the president of the PJSC Lukoil Oil Company from 1993 to 2022. Counted among the richest people in the world, Vagit Alekperov is also known for his philanthropic efforts. In 2007, he established a non-profit organization called Our Future, which aims at promoting social entrepreneurship in Russia.

The first woman to serve as the governor of the Central Bank of Russia, Elvira Nabiullina has also been an economic advisor to Russian president Vladamir Putin. The daughter of a factory manager mother and a driver father, she made it to the Forbes Power Women 2020 list.

Ivan Savvidis is a Russian-Greek politician and businessman best known for his close association with Russian President Vladimir Putin. A former member of the Russian Parliament, Savvidis is currently one of Russia's wealthiest men.

Viktor Chernomyrdin had started his career at an oil refinery. He later became the Russian gas industry minister and the prime minister of Russia. He was also widely infamous for his idioms in syntactically incorrect language, later named Chernomyrdinki. A new diesel-electric icebreaker has been named after him.