Rickety contrary to: rating of billionaires of the northwest

The rating of the richest entrepreneurs of the North-West of Russia has changed only externally over the year: some of its participants have changed places. However, new persons did not appear and, despite the sanctions, businessmen become only richer.

“Chronicles. Media” based on the annual rating of Russian billionaires of Forbes magazine, as in 2024 , talk about the ten richest entrepreneurs associated with the northwest. Their combined state over the year increased from 182.1 to 183.8 billion dollars.

The first place was taken by Alexei Mordashov (second place in Russia, included in the world top-200 ). In 2024, he ranked fifth in the North -Westure Federal District. The entrepreneur was born to Cherepovets of the Vologda region. The main enterprise of Mordashov "Severstal" - "Cherepovets Metallurgical Plant" is also operating there.

The entrepreneur is known for sponsored the release of praise in Europe about Putin, wrote the publication “Important Stories”. In 2025, Mordashov was noted by publicly scolding the Central Bank for a high key rate. The regulator does not reduce it, trying to stop inflation.

At the regional level, the entrepreneur confronts the new governor of the Vologda region, the Orthodox pagan Georgy Filimonov. “Chronicles. Media” wrote about how this conflict is developing due to control over political processes in the region.

Leonid Michelson (third place in Russia, is one in the world top-200 ). In 2024, he was in fourth place in the NWFO. The entrepreneur is the chairman of the board of the largest gas -producing company Novatek, the second after Gazprom. Michelson's companion for this business, Gennady Timchenko, who, according to the United States, is part of Vladimir Putin's inner circle. Novatek participated in the preparation of mercenaries for the war with Ukraine, approved the publication "Important Stories".

The third place , as in 2024, went to Vladimir Lisin (fourth place in Russia). Despite his influence, he fell only under the sanctions of Australia.

On the day of the beginning of the war with Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with the 37 richest entrepreneurs of the country. Later, they all fell under international sanctions. Lisin did not show up to the meeting prudently.

The entrepreneur began, as the Forbes magazine wrote , along with businessmen Iskander Makhmudov and Oleg Deripaska at the Trans World Group. Then Lisin brought out of it the Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant, which laid the foundation for the state of the businessman.

In the National Security and Technology of the First Port Company, Lisin belongs to the Sea Port of St. Petersburg , CJSC Containe Terminal St. Petersburg and LLC Universal Overload Complex .

Fourth place by Vladimir Potanin (fifth place in Russia). In 2024, he ranked second. The entrepreneur owns the Norkel mining and metallurgical companies, one of the largest in the world.

Potanin came up with a privatization mechanism, known as collateral auctions, wrote Forbes. According to the critics of this mechanism, thus entrepreneurs of those years, including Potanin, received shares of some of the largest enterprises in Russia for nothing.

Norilskel belongs to two major assets in the Murmansk region united in the Kola Mining and Metallurgical Company : Severonicel in Monchegorsk and Pechenganikel in Zapolyarny.

Fifth place at Gennady Timchenko (sixth place in Russia). In 2024, he ranked sixth. Being Mikhelson’s companion on Novateka, Timchenko got rich , trading in Russian oil. Nowadays, the entrepreneur is also a shareholder of the Sybur petrochemical company. In 2021, the former son -in -law of Putin and the son of his friend Nikolai Shamalov Kirill entered her rule.

The businessman also controls the construction company Stroytransgaz. In addition, Timchenko holds part of the shares of the St. Petersburg Bank "Russia". The European Union noted that this institution is a personal bank of senior Russian officials.

The United States included Timchenko in the sanctions list in 2014 as a person from the nearest circle of President Putin.

The sixth place is at Andrei Melnichenko (seventh place in Russia). In 2024, he occupied the first line. The entrepreneur is under the sanctions of the EU, the USA and the UK. “Melnichenko belongs to the most influential circle of Russian entrepreneurs who have close ties with the Russian government,” the EU sanctions said . They were introduced, including because the businessman, together with other entrepreneurs, met with Putin on the day of the beginning of the war with Ukraine.

Melnichenko is also known that his yacht “A” is one of the largest in the world. In 2022, she was arrested in Italy as the property of an altitude businessman. Since 2021 , Melnichenko himself has been living in Dubai, and before that he spent 15 years in Switzerland.

The entrepreneur controls the Eurochem fertilizer production company. It supplies goods around the world. In the National Security and Technology, she belongs to such enterprises in the Leningrad region as “Euro-Chim-Seve-West” and “phosphorite”, and in the Murmansk region-the “Kovdor mining and processing plant”.

The chairman of the holding company, which runs the “Eurochem”, appoints an “independent fund”, which owns the shares of the company, explained to Melnichenko in an interview with the Swiss magazine Die Weltwoche in 2022. The President of the Fund is the former Secretary General of Interpol Ronald Nawble.

Russia is one of the main world suppliers of fertilizers. The European Union did not forbid their import, explaining this by the fact that he is not going to deliberately cause a food crisis.

Seventh was taken by Andrei Guryev (18th place in Russia). In 2024, he was on the eighth line in the North -West. He once led the business with disgraced entrepreneur Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

After the criminal prosecution of Khodorkovsky, Guryev gained control of one of his former enterprises - Apatit OJSC in Kirovsk, Murmansk region. The company became the main asset of the Fosagro holding, which fertilizes. Guryev also belong to the Cherepovets of the Vologda Oblast Apatit JSC (with a branch in Volkhov Leningrad region), Fosagro-Trans and JSC Niuf named after Professor Ya. V. Samoilov. "

Eighth place for Vyacheslav Cantor (19th place in Russia). In 2024, he occupied the seventh line. In the Forbes rating this year, the entrepreneur was called an Israeli businessman.

The entrepreneur is the main shareholder of the manufacturer of mineral fertilizers of the Akron group of companies. The main enterprise of the group is located in Veliky Novgorod. The company positions itself as the largest employer of the region. Also in the village of Koashva, the Murmansk region, the North-Western Phosphorus Company is also operating, also controlled by the cantor.

Entrepreneur and public figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky claimed that Kantor wanted to control the Apatit enterprise, the very one that Andrei Guryev owns now. According to Khodorkovsky, of the four governors who signed the letter that Apatita privatized illegally, two represented the regions where Cantor's companies were more affected by the local economy. With this letter, the criminal prosecution of Khodorkovsky actually began.

“He used officials and security forces for commercial purposes,” the businessman is convinced.

Ninth place at Victor Vekselberg (21st place in Russia). In 2024, he was the last in our ranking. The entrepreneur began with oil and aluminum. Now his interests are wider: from energy to Internet providers. Vekselberg - shareholder of the Aluminum company "Rusal". She belongs, among other things, the “Kandalaksha aluminum factory” in Karelia.

Vekselberg bought and handed over to Moscow State University the archive of the Nazis, philosopher-monarchist Ivan Ilyin. Putin said that he re -read his works, quoted more than once and called the “great” and “real patriot” .

In the last place -Iskander Makhmudov (25th place in Russia). In 2024, he ranked ninth in our ranking. The founder of the Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company (UMMC) and Transmasholding , which produces railway transport. Transmashholding also includes the Oktyabrsky Electric Repair Plant located in St. Petersburg.

Among the products of the holding, for example, metro cars for Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sofia, Budapest, Baku and Tashkent. The company’s electric trains and rail buses are operated in Russia, Mongolia, Lithuania, Serbia, Armenia and Kazakhstan. The holding railway wagons drive in Ukraine, Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Mongolia and Egypt.

Like Vladimir Lisin, Makhmudov, did not come to meet with Putin on the day of the beginning of the war with Ukraine. Nevertheless, he fell under sanctions later. The entrepreneur sold the controlling packages of shares of the UMMC and left the board of directors. Companies officially belonging to Makhmudov, among other things, supply the Ministry of Defense of various goods necessary for the war with Ukraine, wrote the publication “Project”.

For many years, Makhmudov led a business with an influential employee of the Presidential Presidential Envoy in the North-Western Federal District Lyubov Prezheraeva , wrote the publication The Bell. German and Spanish investigators suspected that Makhmudov could be associated with the Izmail criminal community.

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Over the past year, billionaires from Russia in the World Forbes rating have become only larger , and during the entire time of the war with Ukraine they became only richer. The richest people of the country, despite sanctions, trade with the European Union, own European companies and purchase spare parts for their private aircraft from abroad.

Simple Russians, indiscriminately from other states, went to closed borders, a ban on flights over Western countries and problems in order to open an account with a foreign bank or transfer money to foreign money.