russian billionaires

Abramovich's Girlfriend, Sharapova and Sexy Spy Make List of Russia's Most Beautiful Women

In honor of International Women's Day, Russian news service Russia Beyond the Headlines (RBTH) has anointed the 12 most beautiful women in Russia. The list includes supermodel Natalia Vodianova (above), Roman Abramovich's gorgeous girlfriend Dasha Zhukova and tennis star Maria Sharapova as well as sexy spy Anna Chapman, who was kicked out of the U.S. last summer following espionage charges. Here's the full rundown of RBTH's Russian beauties; it's unclear whether they're ranked in order of pulchritude, but if so Anna Chapman clocks in high at #3, Vodianova is #4, Sharapova is #5 and Zhukova #6:

1. Alina Kabayeva - Retired world rhythmic gymnastics champion and current politician.

2. Tatyana Golikova - Russian Minister of Health and Social Development.

3. Anna Chapman - Modern Mata Hari, beautiful former spy and current TV host.

4. Natalia Vodianova - Model for international brands such as Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, Calvin Klein, and Valentino, and a known philanthropist.

5. Irina Shaykhlislamova - A top model who has also captured the heart of Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the world's top football players. [cont'd]

Gallery: Most Beautiful Russians

Source

Tags: abramovich, Anna Chapman, beatiful+women, beatifulwomen, Cristiano Ronaldo, Cristiano Ronaldos girlfriend, cristiano+ronaldo+irina, cristianoronaldoirina, Dasha Zhukova, espionage, irina+shaykhlislamova, irinashaykhlislamova, Maria Sharapova, models, most beautiful Russians, most beautiful women, Natalia Vodianova, politician, Roman Abramovich, ronaldo, Russia, Russian beauties, Russian billionaires, Russian models, sexy Russians, sharapova, spies, supermodel, tennis, tennis star, women

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EXCLUSIVE: Abramovich Said to Be Owner of World's Most Expensive Painting

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art, Wealth

EXCLUSIVE: Abramovich is Likely Owner of World's Most Expensive Painting

When we first reported back in May that Pablo Picasso's 1932 painting Nude, Green Leaves, and Bust (above) had sold for a record-breaking $106.5 million at Christie's we heard whispers that the buyer was a certain Russian oligarch known for his eye-popping acquisitions: Roman Abramovich. Now that the world's most expensive painting has been lent to the UK's Tate Modern museum by the unnamed "private collector" who bought it (as my colleague Deidre Woollard reported), a strong indication that the owner is based in London where Abramovich spends most of his time, we're hearing them louder. [cont'd]

Gallery: Record-Breaking Art

Tags: abramovich, art, art auction, art collectors, auction, billionaire, chelsea, London, modern art, most+expensive+painting, mostexpensivepainting, museums, oligarch, Pablo Picasso, Picasso, Roman Abramovich, Russian billionaires, Tate Modern, UK, wealth, world record, worlds most expensive, worlds most expensive painting

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Russian Billionaire Andrey Melnichenko Buys $12 Million Central Park Pad

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Wealth

Russian Billionaire Andrey Melnichenko Buys $12 Million Central Park Pad

Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko, owner of the eye-popping $300 million megayacht 'A' (above) designed by Philippe Starck, has splashed out $12.2 million on a penthouse pied-à-terre in Central Park. It's the first New York property for Melnichenko, at 38 one of the world's youngest billionaires, and his model wife Aleksandra, the Wall St. Journal reports, added to a real estate portfolio that includes apartments and estates in Moscow, France and the U.K. The 2,800-sq.-ft., two-bedroom duplex has two balconies, a terrace facing Central Park, and an entrance gallery with 24-foot ceilings. As we reported back in January Melnichenko, who amassed a $4.4 billion fortune in fertilizer and banking, entertained Martha Stewart, Demi Moore and Aston Kutcher on his yacht in St. Barth's over New Year's during Roman Abramovich's bash.

Tags: Andrey Melnichenko, billionaire, Central Park, mega+yacht, megayacht, New York, oligarch, penthouse, Philippe Starck, real estate, Roman Abramovich, Russia, Russian billionaires, superyacht, wealth, yacht

Abramovich Moves Down on Russia's Rich List

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wealth

Oligarch Roman Abramovich has taken a major tumble on this year's list of Russia's richest men and now languishes in fifth place. Russia's Finans magazine puts Abramovich's wealth at $17.1 billion, up only $100 million from a year ago despite a strong recovery for the Russian economy that saw rival tycoons cash in big time. Steel magnate Vladimir Lisin captured the top spot once again with a $28.3 billion fortune, up from $18.8 billion last year. Mikhail Prokhorov, owner of the New Jersey Nets, makes the list at number two with $22.7 billion, while Alisher Usmanov, part-owner of Arsenal Football Club, clocks in at number three with $19.9 billion. In fourth place, edging out Abramovich, is another steel tycoon, Oleg Deripaska, with $19 billion. Meanwhile there are 37 newly-minted billionaires in Russia this year, bringing the total to 114 up from 77 in 2010.

Gallery: Russia's Richest Men

#4 - Oleg Deripaska (with Putin at left)

Source

Tags: abramovich, billionaire, Mikhail Prokhorov, Oleg Deripaska, oligarch, richest, Roman Abramovich, Russia, Russian billionaires, Vladimir Lisin, wealth

Did Abramovich Just Bag a Bacon for $37 Million at Sotheby's?

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art, Wealth

Last month when we wrote about an important Francis Bacon triptych being auctioned off at Sotheby's, we predicted it would blast past its $14 million high estimate. And indeed on Thursday Three Studies for a Portrait of Lucian Freud (above) sold for a whopping $37 million, or more than two and a half times the top quote, at the auction house's Looking Closely sale of 20th century artworks in London. In our original post we also put forward Bacon-loving oligarch Roman Abramovich as the likely buyer, since he's in the midst of decorating his new $230 million mega-mansion in London; while Thursday's purchaser was anonymous, we bet the Freud triptych will be hanging on Abramovich's wall before long. The Thursday sale, from works said to have belonged to the low-profile Geneva collector George Kostalitz who died last year, also saw a new auction record for any surrealist work of art – Salvador Dali's Portrait de Paul Eluard, which sold for $21.6 million.

Tags: art, auctions, contemporary art, Francis Bacon, London, Roman Abramovich, Russian billionaires, Salvador Dali, Sothebys, wealth

How Blohm + Voss Lost $300 Million on Roman Abramovich's 'Eclipse'

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing, Wealth

When we wrote about all the delays, snafus and spiraling costs surrounding Roman Abramovich's gigayacht Eclipse, many people had a good chuckle over the hundreds of millions of dollars in overages the oligarch incurred in his quest for the world's largest yacht. Now it turns out he's having the last laugh, because the yacht's German builders Blohm + Voss got stuck with the bill. That's because six years ago they rather foolishly signed an ironclad contract to complete the project for €340 million (about $485 million) according to a new report, whereas the actual cost turned out to be closer to €570 million, or about $785 million – meaning B+V took a bath to the tune of $300 million, enough for a whole other megayacht. Now Blohm + Voss' competitors at Lürssen are indulging in a good dose of schadenfreude over the incident while building an even bigger yacht for an Arab sheik.

Tags: Blohm + Voss, Eclipse, eclipse+yacht, eclipseyacht, megayacht, Roman Abramovich, roman+abramovich+eclipse, romanabramovicheclipse, Russian billionaires, superyacht, wealth, yacht

Abramovich's 'Eclipse' Meets the 'A' in Anguilla

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing, Wealth

Abramovich's 'Eclipse' Meets the 'A' in Anguilla

Having had their fill of St. Barth's and the supermodels and celebs who converged on its posh purlieus for New Year's, Russian billionaires Roman Abramovich and Andrei Melnichenko have now decamped with their megayachts to Anguilla. Abramovich, who stopped off in Barbados en route, dominates the seascape in the Eclipse (above), his $500 million, 550-ft. behemoth built by Blohm + Voss, while Melnichenko makes do with his measly $300 million Philippe Starck-designed destroyer 'A'. Abramovich also brought the Luna along for the ride to Anguilla, the 377 ft. explorer yacht he purchased last year as a sort of support yacht for the Eclipse and lent to Madonna last summer. All three of the enormous vessels were anchored off Meads Bay, allowing their owners easy access to Anguilla's posh resorts including the Viceroy, Frangipani Beach Resort, Carimar Beach Club and Malliouhana Hotel and Spa.

Tags: Andrei Melnichenko, Anguilla, Barbados, billionaire, Blohm + Voss, Eclipse, megayacht, Roman Abramovich, Russian billionaires, St. Barths, St. Barts, superyacht, yacht

Demi Moore & Martha Stewart Party on Russian Billionaire's Megayacht

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing, Events, Wealth

Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher and Martha Stewart made the New Year's scene in St. Barths as guests of Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko aboard his Philippe Starck-designed megayacht 'A' (above). The awe-inspiring 390-ft. craft ranks as the 11th largest yacht in the world and cost an estimated $300 million to build. The celebs were in town for oligarch Roman Abramovich's star-studded New Year's Eve bash featuring the Black Eyed Peas at his lavish estate on the island. While on board the yacht Moore strutted around in a barely-there bikini and caught some rays.

She and Kutcher also played around on the vessel's jet skis. The yacht's interior features $40,000 bath faucets, $60,000 stair banisters, and an all-white, 2,583-sq.-ft. master suite wrapped in bulletproof glass and accessed by a silver-plated staircase with a fingerprint scanner at the door. Key decor accents include Baccarat crystal tables, alligator skin and Kudu horn chairs, stingray skin upholstered walls and hand-stitched leather paneling. Filling the A's gas tanks alone costs $500,000 a pop and running costs come to about $20 million a year.

Tags: Andrey Melnichenko, Ashton Kutcher, celebrity, Demi Moore, Martha Stewart, megayacht, parties, Philippe Starck, Roman Abramovich, Russian billionaires, St. Barths, superyacht, yacht

Abramovich's 'Eclipse' Finally Ready to Set Sail

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing, Wealth

After a year-long delay our favorite Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich finally took delivery of the world's largest and most expensive yacht, the Eclipse (above), the other day in time to berth her in St. Barths for his big New Year's Eve bash starring the Black Eyed Peas. The yacht, which measures anywhere from 533 ft. to 557 ft. depending on reports, cost somewhere between $500 million – $1 billion, again depending on which news accounts you give credit to. In any case, the Eclipse will cost an estimated $50 million a year to maintain and each fill-up at the gas tanks will run Roman a cool $650,000. The Eclipse, built by Germany's Blohm + Voss with luxe accommodations for 30 guests and 75 crew members, was beset with problems as we noted over the summer. The yacht, which features a military-grade missile defense system, armor plating, bulletproof windows, three helipads, two swimming pools and a wellness center, is said to be paparazzi proof thanks to a special electronic shield.

[via JustLuxe]

Tags: abramovich, abramovich+eclipse, abramovicheclipse, Blohm + Voss, eclipse+yacht, eclipseyacht, megayacht, Roman Abramovich, Russian billionaires, st+barts, St. Barths, stbarts, wealth, yacht

Inside Abramovich's New $230 Million London Mega-Mansion

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Wealth, Architecture & Design

Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich has purchased all nine luxury apartments in two adjoining buildings in London's posh Knightsbridge neighborhood and plans to transform them into a mega-mansion at a total cost of about $230 million. He aims to turn the 30,000-sq.-ft. eight-bedroom buildings, a historic property located next to famed department store Harrods and designed by renowned master builder Thomas Cubitt, who also designed parts of Buckingham Palace, into a high-tech luxury fortress with five above-ground stories and three underground levels, the London Daily Mail reports. The paper has obtained a schematic of the plans, above; most of the cost of the project will go towards the renovations.

"He wants a very plush interior in the style of high neoclassical Victorian to match the exterior," an insider tells the paper. "He's going to be very hands-on and there will be nothing minimalist about his taste. Inside will be all cornices, thick pile carpeting and heavy drapery." The plans call for six bedrooms two guest rooms all with en suite baths; a multicar garage with staff accommodation in a mews behind the main building; a cinema / entertainment room; an indoor swimming pool; a steam room and sauna; and a children's study and entertainment room. Abramovich has been patiently acquiring the flats in the buildings since the late '90s, the paper reveals, and just recently closed on the last one.

Source

Tags: abramovich, abramovich+london, abramovich+mansion, abramovichlondon, abramovichmansion, billionaire, estates, Harrods, Knightsbridge, London, mansion, Roman Abramovich, Russian billionaires, UK, wealth

Ukranian Billionaire Flys in Ducasse, Cirque du Soleil for $6 Million Birthday Bash

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Events, Wealth

Ukrainian billionaire Viktor Pinchuk (above) is spending more than $6 million on an opulent 50th birthday bash for himself in the posh French ski resort of Courchevel tonight, flying in the Cirque de Soleil and superchef Alain Ducasse for the occasion. The steel magnate and contemporary art collector, whose has an estimated fortune of over $3 billion, is sparing no expense for the 300 guests invited to the event, the London Telegraph reports. It has taken 50 workmen two weeks "under difficult climactic conditions" to set up an enormous marquee to showcase the Cirque du Soleil, the world-renowned Canadian circus troupe, the paper notes.

Ducasse's haute cuisine will be accompanied by oceans of the finest champagne, vodka and top grand cru vintage wines. The evening will end with a spectacular fireworks display before guests retire to the resort's 11 five-star hotels, all booked out for the occasion. Pinchuk, who owns one of London's most expensive houses, has his own private museum in Kiev housing major works by Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons and Louis Vuitton collaborator Takashi Murakami. He has a number of philanthropic projects and arts sponsorships in the works with the likes of Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John, Steven Spielberg, George Soros and Bill Clinton, all of whom could turn up at the birthday blowout.

Tags: Alain Ducasse, billionaire, Cirque de Soleil, contemporary art, Courchevel, Damien Hirst, events, france, Jeff Koons, museum, oligarch, parties, Paul McCartney, Russian billionaires, Takashi Murakami, Ukraine, wealth

Abramovich Could Be Moscow's Next Mayor

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wealth

Russian news service RIA Novosti reports that Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich could be appointed the next mayor of Moscow, an incredibly influential position, following the incumbent's ouster.

Russian president Dimitri Medvedev gave Yuri Luzhkov his walking papers this week in the wake of a long-simmering feud. The job is unlikely to be maintained in its present form and may be divided into two posts to avoid a repeat of Luzhkov's power concentration.

If the free-spending 43-year-old billionaire does get the job – though we're not sure how he'd have the time given his many other interests, from football clubs to megayachts – it wouldn't be his first foray into politics.

Abramovich served as governor of Chukotka (an impoverished region in the Russian Far East) from 2000 to 2008, and was credited with improved living standards, restoring schools and housing and attracting investment, RAI notes, and he is currently the chairman of the Chukotka Autonomous District Duma.

Tags: Dimitri Medvedev, Moscow, politics, Roman Abramovich, Russia, Russian billionaires

'Eclipse' Builders Blohm + Voss to Launch 1930s-Style Megayacht

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing

Roman Abramovich's gigantic high-tech gigayacht Eclipse has been a major headache for German shipyard Blohm + Voss, with the Russian billionaire complaining about everything from the mirrors to the engine vibrations. While the project still stumbles along, as we reported earlier this month it won't even be the world's largest privately owned yacht by the time it's finally finished. Perhaps that's why Blohm + Voss' next big project eschews the ultra-modern in favor of something more appealing than appalling: a 1930s-style superyacht that borrows heavily from the famed firm's 130-year-old archives. At 364 feet, the B+V 111 MY/ Vintage (above) actually qualifies for megayacht status.

In addition to a helipad the exterior spaces offer a swimming pool with glazed side panels and a large beach club aft. The entire 5th deck is devoted to the owner's suite which includes a large bedroom, his and hers bathrooms and dressing areas, a private dining room, gym and lounge. In addition up to 12 guests can be accommodated in four luxury and two VIP guests cabins. An indoor dining area with a lounge connects to an aft deck for al fresco dining and cocktailing. With a crew of 25 seeing to the yacht's diesel-mechanical propulsion system, she's set for a cruising speed of 14.5 knots.

[via JamesList]

Tags: Blohm + Voss, Eclipse, megayacht, Roman Abramovich, Russian billionaires, superyacht, swimming pool, yacht

Abramovich Building Private $30 Million Nightclub in London

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wealth

Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich is building himself an exclusive new $30 million private nightclub underneath his football club's stadium in London to entertain girlfriend Dasha Zhukova's (above) chic friends. Work on the luxuriously appointed space, located below Chelsea's Stamford Bridge stadium with capacity for up to 500 guests, is at an advanced stage and could be complete by December the London Evening Standard reports. The venue, in a space formerly occupied by Purple nightclub which closed in 2007, features a 13-ft. high waterfall that cost $250,000 to install as well as a hydraulically-operated stage for private performances by Abramovich's favorite artists including Gwen Stefani, Amy Winehouse and Kings of Leon. The interior will feature a "gritty industrial design motif" with a lavish green room for performers and private booths with plasma TV screens, the paper reports, noting Abramovich got the idea for the club after touring exclusive night spots in the U.S.

Tags: Amy Winehouse, Dasha Zhukova, Gwen Stefani, London, nightclub, Roman Abramovich, Russia, Russian billionaires, sports

Aspen Contractor Says Abramovich Stiffed Him

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Wealth, Crimes and Misdemeanors

A contractor in Aspen, Colorado has filed a lien against Roman Abramovich, claiming the Russian billionaire stiffed him on work performed on Wildcat Ridge (above), the oligarch's $36 million ranch perched above Snowmass Village. The modern 11-bedroom mansion has a dramatic folded plate roof and a large moss rock wall dividing the east and west wings of the building, and uses geothermal wells to heat the interiors and indoor pool. Vogelman West Associates, a masonry and stone contractor, filed the lien in Pitkin County against Abramovich Roman Trailhead Property Management Inc. after trying to collect on an outstanding $5,000 invoice, the Aspen Daily News reports. Given the relatively paltry amount of the debt, we assume one of Abramovich's minions simply forgot to take care of it; then again, he didn't get rich by writing a lot of checks.

Tags: Aspen, Colorado, ranch, Roman Abramovich, Russian billionaires, wealth, Wildcat Ridge

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