2019 – A Very Good Year For Russian Billionaires

Despite sanctions, the top 23 richest people in Russia on the rich list index added $52.9 billion to their fortunes in 2019. The mining tycoon Vladimir Potanin, led the Russia rich list with an $8.54 billion gain.

His fortune of $28.2 billion ranks him 35th in the top 500 billionaires in the world list, between Hong Kong’s richest man Li Ka-Shing ($29.7 billion) and Tesla CEO Elon Musk ($28 billion).

CEO of Lukoil Vagit Alekperov added $6.2 billion since the start of the year. He has a $22.3 billion fortune. He’s followed by energy moguls Leonid Mikhelson and Gennady Timchenko.

Russian billionaires who showed the biggest wealth increase in 2019

1. Vladimir Potanin
   Total wealth: $28.2 billion
   2019 gain: $8.54 billion
2. Vagit Alekperov
   Total wealth: $22.3 billion
   2019 gain: $6.22 billion
3. Leonid Mikhelson
   Total wealth: $24.6 billion
   2019 gain: $5.20 billion
4. Gennady Timchenko
   Total wealth: $18.2 billion
   2019 gain: $4.35 billion
5. Vladimir Lisin
   Total wealth: $21.3 billion
   2019 gain: $3.46 billion
6. Andrey Melnichenko
   Total wealth: $15.3 billion
   2019 gain: $2.83 billion
7. Leonid Fedun
   Total wealth: $9.10 billion
   2019 gain: $2.57 billion
8. Alisher Usmanov
   Total wealth: $16.7 billion
   2019 gain: $2.51 billion
9. Alexey Mordashov
   Total wealth: $20.0 billion
   2019 gain: $2.51 billion
10. Roman Abramovich
    Total wealth: $16.2 billion
    2019 gain: $2.10 billion
11. Iskander Makhmudov
    Total wealth: $6.14 billion
    2019 gain: $2.09 billion
12. Viktor Vekselberg
    Total wealth: $14.8 billion
    2019 gain: $1.67 billion
13. Suleiman Kerimov
    Total wealth: $5.08 billion
    2019 gain: $1.29 billion
14. Mikhail Fridman
    Total wealth: $13.8 billion
    2019 gain: $1.29 billion
15. Victor Rashnikov
    Total wealth: $9.65 billion
    2019 gain: $1.21 billion
16. Alexander Abramov
    Total wealth: $7.21 billion
    2019 gain: $1.19 billion
17. Mikhail Prokhorov
    Total wealth: $11.4 billion
    2019 gain: $936 million
18. German Khan
    Total wealth: $9.33 billion
    2019 gain: $936 million
19. Vyacheslav Moshe Kantor
    Total wealth: $4.56 billion
    2019 gain: $835 million
20. Alexey Kuzmichev
    Total wealth: $7.08 billion
    2019 gain: $725 million
21. Andrey Guryev
    Total wealth: $4.51 billion
    2019 gain: $494 million
22. Petr Aven
    Total wealth: $5.79 billion
    2019 gain: $355 million
23. Dmitry Rybolovlev
    Total wealth: $9.61 billion
    2019 gain: -$438 million (loss)

Vladimir Potanin, the president of Norilsk Nickel, the world’s largest producer of refined nickel, is worth an estimated $28.2 billion, making him the richest documented man in Russia. Vladimir Potanin graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) in 1983 with a degree in International Economics.