The billionaire is involuntarily

The story of the richest Russian in the interior of sanctions

Forbes once again calculated the money of Russian entrepreneurs and the richest called 51-year-old Andrei Melnichenko, the owner of the global fertilizer manufacturer "Eurochem". A year ago, Melnichenko was only the eighth. After the start of the war, he fell under sanctions and is now forced to live in the UAE - instead of Switzerland, where he moved 15 years ago. Melnichenko practically does not communicate with the press, and the Russian layman is known mainly as the owner of the largest sailing yacht in the world. What is the difference between Andrei Melnichenko from the club comrades in the club of Russian billionaires and why he ended up with them in the same boat, the New European Europe was understanding.

In 2017, the second yacht “A” Andrei Melnichenko (A ”he ordered the first Kile ten years earlier in the Kileu (Germany). Arriving in the yacht world, the Russian billionaire and then saw a niche for development. The new boat of the “King of Fertilizers” has become the world's largest sailing yacht - a displacement of 12,700 tons, almost 145 meters long and a sail of 3747 square meters. m. Media evaluate it at half a billion euros, and German experts who built “A” note that the owner can compensate for part of the costs due to the patents for innovative developments, which were created specifically for this vessel and made an important contribution to the world shipbuilding as a whole.

“I see how to organize work correctly. This can be called the ability to see the prospect ",

-So Melnichenko described his main business transformation in an interview with the Swiss publication Die Weltwoche.

The interview was called “I was punished for the fact that I am rich and I have the wrong passport,” and it appeared in July last year after Melnichenko began to challenge the imposition of the European Union sanctions on him and his family.

Andrei Melnichenko was born in Gomel in 1972 in a family of teachers: father - Belarusian, taught students to physics at a local university; Mother - Ukrainian, taught Russian and literature at a music school.

“Today I am called Russians. Yes, I have a Russian passport. But am I Russian? You can call me a Belarusian, a Ukrainian - or Swiss, because for almost 15 years I have been living mainly in Switzerland.

Or you can call me an emirate because I have UAE citizenship. My wife is from Europe, she is a citizen of Croatia. My children were born in France and are European citizens. Therefore, I believe that - whether you are a Jew, Ukrainian, Russian or Belarusian - perception of a person on the basis of his nationality and selective application of law belong to the dark pages of history and should not take place in Europe of the 21st century, ”Melnichenko argues.

The schoolboy in the late 80s, he was selected and ended up in a boarding school at Moscow State University. In 1989, he entered the Faculty of Physics, but Kantutic statistics and field theory, as a result, he preferred entrepreneurship. He began with the organization of exchangers: there was a demand for currency in the country, and there were many foreigners in the student town of Moscow State University. For two years, the young man and his comrades succeeded so that their currency exchange points worked throughout Russia. It was a “gray” business: there was no longer in prison for the currency, but there was no one to regulate activities - the country swiftly swanded downhill.

In 1992, 20-year-old Melnichenko cooperates with one of the first private banks in Russia (Prime Minister Bank), receives a license for foreign exchange operations from the new Russian state and all the “dashing 90s” was engaged in classical accumulation of primary capital. The MDM bank created by him in terms of popularity and introduction of advanced technologies can be compared with the brainchild of Tinkov in the Tenths. The Banker magazine in 2002 and 2003, and Global Finance was called MDM “Best Russian Bank” in 2004.

Just at that time, the so -called “collateral auctions” began in Russia: large banks agreed to give the government to loan on the security of shares of the largest and most valuable enterprises. Auctions were held by personal decree of President Boris Yeltsin. His critics will then say that the deal with a large business was a fiction: the largest energy manufacturers, the resource mining enterprises were given to banks for nothing - and the government was not going to repay the debt. It is generally accepted that it was then that the class of oligarchs appeared in Russia - extremely rich people who have an influence on power.

Once after February 24, 2022 almost all sanctions, Melnichenko does not tire of repeating that the oligarch has never been. If only because due to the age and lack of ties, he could not take part in collateral auctions.

Ilya Shumanov, a journalist-investigator, general director of the Transpenseri International project, considers this argument to be doubtful.

- In Russia, there are two types of billionaires: “oligarchs of the first wave”, the Yeltsin era - Abramovich, Friedman, Potanin, Khan and others; And those who have succeeded in Putin's Russia. The Rotenberg brothers also did not participate in collateral auctions, so what? Melnichenko can be attributed to the Putin wave of oligarchs, in the 90s he was not so active. I believe that in the Russian system of large business and corporations it is impossible to build its own business without contact with the state. His companies received licenses, the approval of the Federal Antimonopoly Service for acquisitions and mergers. I can’t name a single businessman in Russia who would work in the field of resources and would not use political resources, ”Shumanov explains his position.

Andrei Melnichenko’s main asset until 2022 is the Eurochem group, one of the world's largest producers of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. If the International Fertilizers Association for the whole world required about 200 million tons of fertilizers, then 27.9 million tons of them produced Eurochem, of which 21.9 million tons went to export. Although “export” in the case of Eurochem is a conditional concept: in addition to Russia, the groups of the group are located in Belgium, Kazakhstan and Lithuania. As follows from the report of the company, the staff of employees working in 40 countries has more than 27,000 people, and the products are supplied to more than 100 countries of the world. The company's revenue in 2021 amounted to $ 10.2 billion.

Melnichenko began to be interested in industrial assets in the “zero”, and neither in gas production or “Neftyanka” - the limit of the dreams of the Russian businessman of the first wave - he did not seek. But around the ruins lay dozens of enterprises suffering from a deficit of working capital and a lack of competent manager. Melnichenko’s mathematical mind quickly saw the prospect of here. So in the assets of MDM, shares of coal companies, manufacturers of pipes and mineral fertilizers appeared.

“The financial conditions in these sectors were terrible, but we saw their great potential when restoring the economy after the crisis ( 1998. - Approx. Author ),” Melnichenko explains. - For example, the Volga Pipe Plant was purchased from the Yukos oil company at a fairly low price. The same thing with coal: in two years about 20 problem coal mines were bought. At that time, coal was considered an unattractive asset. The same with fertilizers: not a single fertilizer company had a majority owner, everything was distributed between a bunch of small ones. We consolidated property, and so appeared "Eurochem". "

The working “on his” Melnichenko began to slowly upgrade enterprises, create a new infrastructure for export, introduce the latest technologies, playing for a long time, and won.

His other important asset - the Siberian Coal Energy Company (SUEK) - is the fourth in the world as a manufacturer of thermal energy and a coal seller with a distribution network in 38 countries of the world. It is called the most important player in the energy market in the Asia-Pacific region. In the year, Suek mined about 100 million tons of coal per year, and the volume of its proven reserves is 5.4 billion tons.

Forbes considered that over 15 years, Melnichenko invested more than 23 billion dollars in the industrial sector of Russia. Kommersant estimated that since March 2022, Andrei Melnichenko increased by $ 14.1 billion and amounted to $ 25.2 billion.

But on March 9, 2022, the European Union imposed sanctions against 14 businessmen from Russia. One of the reasons for this was the meeting of entrepreneurs with Vladimir Putin, which happened on February 24 after the announcement of the “special operation” in Ukraine.

Melnichenko insists that he had never had any influence on Putin, he never spoke privately, but saw only as part of a delegation. And the same meeting in the Kremlin was not an act of public demonstration of loyalty to the leader, as it is evaluated in the West, but by the long -planned meeting of the Club of Russian billionaires, this is what the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP) is sometimes called.

“I have a position in the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. This is the main defender of the interests of Russian private business in relations with the Russian government. The RSPP represents the Russian business in the world arena, ”he explained to the Swiss journalist. - It was a working event. We were all shocked by the events taking place in Ukraine. We heard about this in the news when we woke up in the morning. And the meeting took place somewhere in the afternoon. "

So after the outbreak of war, Melnichenko turned out to be between the two fires: in Russia he was always mercilessly criticized for a “nonpatriotic” position.

“In Russia, he spends noticeably less than six months, which means that the tax resident of our country is not. He does not pay personal income tax from his income (for $ 500 million a year, it would be 4.2 billion rubles - the budget of a pair of middle -aged district centers) - in 2019, “turbopatriots” from Tsargrad wrote about it. - He is one of the businessmen who fly to Russia at 0:01 in order to stay one day according to the documents. That is, the coal and chemical king of Siberia, which controls a significant part of the region’s industry, is not even a resident of our country! Mr. President, where is your deofshorization? "

Melnichenko confirms that since 2004 he tried to build his business in such a way as to present in Russia no more than 4-5 weeks a year, devoting all the rest of the time to the family, his hobbies, the implementation of social projects and the work of Pro Bono. What influence on Putin can be discussed in this mode, the businessman is outraged.

But so far it helps a little.

Even before the official announcement of Melnichenko’s sanctions, realizing what everything is going on, the Board of Directors of SUEK and Eurochem left. Officially, now it all belongs to his wife, Serbian singer Sandra Nikolich. For 15 years, Melnichenko built such a management system with his assets that did not require his personal participation in the processes, and the business grew up. The operational management of enterprises is engaged in management, management is controlled by the board of directors; The advice is a holding company that owns enterprises; Holding company is in trust control of Trust; It is led by Ronald Nawble, the former Deputy Minister of Finance of the United States for law enforcement, a professor of law, who for 14 years served as Secretary of General Interpol.

But the exit from the board of directors did not help: Melnichenko’s companies were subject to pressure around the world. In April, the Eurochem plants in Lithuania, Germany and France were stopped. Estonia closed the transit of fertilizers and raw materials.

Since August 10, 2022, the European Union banned the import of Russian coal, as well as its freight and insurance. This did not add optimism to Melnichenko holdings.

“SUEK currently redistributes the volume of its products between existing markets. For this reason, the reduction in supplies to Europe is partly compensated by an increase in exports to Africa, to the Middle East and South Asia. In these regions today there is a shortage of proposal, - in September 2022, said TASS General Director of SUEK Maxim Basov. - Finding alternative consignors and insurers is not easy, because European companies traditionally dominate these markets. Of course, these are solved problems, but they take time. ”

In December 2022, Nek -public Melnichenko unexpectedly appeared in South Africa. Bloomberg writes that there a billionaire met with politicians on the sidelines of the election conference of the ruling African National Congress in the hope that South Africa will help him solve the problems with fertilizers.

- This is oligarchic diplomacy: when he tells representatives of the African countries that if the sanctions are not removed, there will be a shortage of food and hunger will occur,

- says Ilya Shumanov.

Perhaps Andrei Melnichenko inspires an example of his predecessor in the first position of the Russian Forbes Russian Forbes Vladimir Lisin. Over the past two years, his wealth, the owner of the Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant, was also at the last two years on February 24 was also at a meeting with Putin. In addition, he is much better known in Russia, but so far only Australia imposed sanctions against him.

Euobserver writes that the European Union did not pursue Lisin because of the positions of several EU countries. Including, according to the sources of the publication, “against” Belgium spoke, where Two plants are located at Lisin, and both in depressed areas, where there are so few jobs. Officially, no one confirms this version, but the fact remains: Melnichenko, who also has not one plant in Europe, headquarters in the Swiss Tsug and offices around the world, is under all sanctions from Canada to New Zealand, and the fox continues to calmly conduct business.

Ilya Shumanov explains such selectivity of European sanctions by the result of the arrangement of foreign policy priorities by both billionaires:

- While Melnichenko put more on the American establishment - he attracted American experts and established connections on the other side of the ocean, - Lisin courted the Europeans more. This gave its results. The United States, by the way, did not impose sanctions against Eurochem, ”the investigator explains.

Andrei Melnichenko leaves no attempts to protest the sanctions and, following Putin, discusses the food security of the world.

“Russian and Belarusian companies produce 17% of world fertilizers, providing almost 800 million people with food,” the businessman says. - The closure of these companies (in order to deprive the government of Russia and Belarus of a significant source of income) actually deprives 800 million people of food as a side effect. This is an economic weapon of mass destruction (EOOMP). Its use affected many people, both in the EU and in other parts of the globe, and this contradicts the basic humanitarian principles. I am firmly convinced that the use of hunger as a weapon is absolutely unacceptable, regardless of the degree of hatred of the enemy.

At the same time, Melnichenko stubbornly refuses to determine the actions of Russia and President Putin, maneuvering between threats of world hunger and condemning all wars in principle.

And hoping for the indulgence of the West. But in vain.

- If we analyze the polls of the inhabitants of the EU and the Russian Federation, then they amazingly converge in one thing: no one sympathizes with the Russian oligarchs under sanctions. This, in my opinion, is a very important consensus. Therefore, no one protects billionaires either within Russia or abroad, ”says Ilya Shumanov. - The oligarchs themselves are simply waiting for the end of the war. It doesn’t matter with what result. Yes, some are melt, but we must wait. The end of the war is the beginning of the negotiation zone. That is why figures like Abramovich fuss. The West has its own position: the largest war on the continent has been deployed in 80 years, someone should answer for this. Russian rich is what they could reach.

In March 2022, the Italian authorities arrested the beauty-ya “A”, she stands in the port of Trieste. Personal and family accounts and assets of Melnichenko are frozen; His children cannot return to Switzerland, where they lived all their lives, go to school where their friends remained. After Melnichenko officially ceased to be the beneficiary of Eurochem, Switzerland lifted the sanctions from the company, but not from the businessman himself.

“If in Europe you can become a goal of persecution because of your success in business and its nationality, then Europe cannot be considered a safe place. Businessmen will transfer their assets to another place. The EU, Switzerland and the UK destroy their own investment attractiveness. The abandonment of its principles, a legal system based on the rules, will be more destructive than inflation, which will end in a few years, ”continues to scare the Europeans Melnichenko.

In his pseudo -eared, but in fact - threatening rhetoric, he becomes like Putin. At a meeting of the RSPP on March 16, 2023, the Russian President again spoke about the important role of Russian fertilizers and the threat of world food security. According to him, without Russian nitrate and superphosphates, Europeans have already encountered a decrease in productivity and a deficiency of certain types of products.

«Дошло до того, что их руководители предлагают своим гражданам вместо салата и помидоров перейти на репу: репа — хороший продукт», — рассказал бизнесменам российский лидер, намекнув, что и за репой европейцам рано или поздно придется обращаться к России.

15 российских миллиардеров на то заседание не явились. Включая Мельниченко, состояние которого за последний год так выросло благодаря противостоянию России и условного Запада. Эксперты объясняют: чрезвычайно подорожавший газ сделал невыгодным производство удобрений в Европе, многие мелкие предприятия балансируют на грани банкротства. А спрос на удобрения во всём мире растет и никуда не денется после войны. Потому один победитель в противостоянии Украины и России известен точно — это жена Андрея Мельниченко, которой сейчас принадлежат все активы мужа.