Billionaire Potanin donates his fortune to the Gates and Buffett Foundation

Russian billionaire, president of the Interros holding and general director of MMC Norilsk Nickel Vladimir Potanin decided to give part of his fortune to charity, BBC News reports.

Potanin joined the Gates couple's Giving Pledge foundation along with 12 other philanthropists, including Virgin CEO Sir Richard Branson. Thanks to the next expansion, the total number of Giving Pledge supporters will reach 105 people, Forbes notes. Potanin, according to Forbes, last spring ranked fourth among the richest Russian businessmen with a fortune of $14.5 billion.

Back in 2010, Potanin said that he would donate his entire fortune to charity, and that he would have no heirs.

The Giving Pledge was founded in 2010 by Warren Buffett and Bill Gates as a campaign to encourage the world's wealthiest people to commit to large-scale philanthropy.