russianbillionaires

Abramovich Cancels Aspen New Year's Bash

Filed under: Wealth

Russian oligarch (and former Luxist mascot) Roman Abramovich, who has lost a whopping $20 billion in the global financial crisis, has reportedly canceled a lavish New Year's Eve party he'd planned to host in Aspen next month. Abramovich (above, with hot young girlfriend Dasha Zhukova) had booked the event at the resort's luxe Piñons restaurant, but it's now been called off, the Aspen Times reports. "Nobody really knew about it, and it wasn't supposed to get out," the restaurant's maitre d' told the paper. "We're fine, we've got our regular New Year's reservations." As my colleague Deirdre Woollard reported, Abramovich purchased the amazing Wildcat Ridge estate in Aspen for $36 million last spring. The modern 11 bedroom mansion is perched at an elevation of 9,200 feet with incredible mountain views.

Tags: Aspen, New Years Eve, NewYearsEve, roman abramovich, RomanAbramovich, russian billionaires, RussianBillionaires

Russian Billionaire Publishes Book of Wife's Nudes

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Books

Russian oligarch Sergei Rodionov married a notorious Moscow femme fatale named Olga and then commissioned famed French photographer Bettina Rheims to do a big bucks X-rated photo shoot. He liked it so much he talked Rheims into two more photo shoots, and the results have just been published in book form, to a decidedly mixed reaction from Moscow society.

Russian billionaires are not shy about displaying their wealth, and surely The Book of Olga (right), which is so incendiary we can only show you the cover here, is just another such exhibition of prized assets. Of course, as a limited edition of 1,000 signed and numbered copies for $500 each, it also stands to make some money. If it succeeds, perhaps other Riussian oligarchs will follow suit and such books could become the hot new status symbol.

Tags: Bettina Rheims, BettinaRheims, Book of Olga, BookOfOlga, Moscow, Photography, russian billionaires, RussianBillionaires, Sergei Rodionov, SergeiRodionov

Abramovich Loses $20 Billion

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wealth

Bad news for free-spending Russian billionaire and Luxist mascot Roman Abramovich: he lost a staggering $20 billion over the past few months as Russia's financial markets took a tumble. The figure was calculated "based on assets excluding property and cash," Bloomberg reports, and it means that Abramovich's net worth is now only $3.5 billion. He had previously been ranked as the 15th richest man in the world with a fortune of $23.5 billion.

Some other Russian oligarchs have fared pretty poorly as well. Russia's richest man - well, formerly anyway - Oleg Deripaska lost more than $16 billion, and Vladimir Lisin lost $22 billion. Overall, Russia's richest men have lost a combined total of $230 billion in five months, Bloomberg notes. No single man has suufered as much as Indian steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, who lost $28 billion as we reported earlier this week. Still, Abramovich's loss is likely to affect him more as he so obviously enjoyed spending his immense wealth. So - anyone want to buy a $350 million megayacht?

Tags: Oleg Deripaska, OlegDeripaska, roman abramovich, RomanAbramovich, Russian billionaires, RussianBillionaires, Vladimir Lisin, VladimirLisin

Abramovich's New $350 Million Megayacht Will Have Missile Defense System

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich's new $355 million, 555-ft. Eclipse, designed to be the world's biggest, will have a military-grade missile defense system to keep the oligarch safe. My colleague Deidre Woollard first reported on initial plans for the Eclipse back in January. Now further details are emerging about the megayacht (rendering above), which when completed next summer will be 25 ft. longer than Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid's 530-ft. Platinum, currently ranked as the biggest yacht in the world. Secrecy surrounds the Eclipse, but sources tell the London Times that an antiballistic missile defense system is being installed by AST, a company with close ties to both the Blohm + Voss shipyard in Hamburg, where the yacht is being built, and the German defense ministry.

The Eclipse is also being equipped with armor plating surrounding the bridge and Abramovich's master suite, as well as bullet-proof windows. There's also a submarine that can be launched underwater and dive to a depth of 160 ft. that doubles as an escape pod, as well as two helicopter pads. Civilian ships are not allowed to carry weapons and so have to limit themselves to defense systems, but Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz gets around this by having his 482-ft. yacht registered as a Royal Saudi Navy vessel, said to be equipped with French-made Exocet missiles. Pirate attacks on luxury craft are on the rise of late. Abramovich owns three other megayachts already: the 377 ft. Pelorus, the 282 ft. Ecstasea and the 160 ft. Sussurro.

Gallery: Abramovich's Megayachts

Tags: Dubai, Eclipse, Ecstasea, megayacht, Pelorus, Pirates, roman abramovich, RomanAbramovich, russian billionaires, RussianBillionaires, Saudi Arabia, SaudiArabia, sheikh mohammed bin rashid, SheikhMohammedBinRashid, Sussurro, Yacht

Ukranian Billionaire Was Big Hirst Buyer

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art

Ukranian billionaire Viktor Pinchuk has revealed he was a major buyer at Damien Hirst's record-breaking $200 million Sotheby's sale last month, but has declined to say exactly what he purchased. Pinchuk, who's worth an estimated $5 billion, has his own museum in Kiev, the first private institution of its kind in the former Soviet Union, which already houses works by Hirst, Jeff Koons and Vuitton collaborator Takashi Murakami. He says he plans to display his new Hirst acquisitions at the Pinchuk Center in the spring.

"Victor Pinchuk is having a great impact on the [art] market," Simon de Pury, chairman of auction house Phillips de Pury & Co., who credits him with starting the oligarch art collecting trend, tells Bloomberg. "The contemporary art market in both Ukraine and Russia has really taken off in the past two years, and I expect this growth to continue." Earlier this year Pinchuk paid a record $150 million for a house in London, the world's most expensive at the time.

Tags: Damien Hirst, DamienHirst, Jeff Koons, JeffKoons, Kiev, Pinchuk Center, PinchukCenter, Russian billionaires, RussianBillionaires, Simon de Pury, SimonDePury, Ukraine, Viktor Pinchuk, ViktorPinchuk

Moscow Townhouse Sells for Record $99 Million

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

An unnamed Russian billionaire has splashed out $99 million on an ultra-luxe Moscow penthouse around the corner from the Kremlin. The seven-story, 14,000-sq.-ft. oligarch's aerie features five bedrooms, five baths, an indoor pool, separate children's floor and winter garden on the roof. It's located in the chic Chistie Prudy Residence complex, which has underground parking, private security and a water purification system. "For Moscow, it's an absolute record," the townhouse's real estate firm's spokesman Ruslan Barabash tells Reuters. The interior is done in a Moorish style with marble mosaics, myriad columns and arches, Moroccan-style lighting and garish touches galore.

[pix via BallerHouse]

Gallery: Moscow Mansion

Tags: Luxury real estate, LuxuryRealEstate, Moscow, Russia, Russian billionaires, RussianBillionaires

$200 Million Megayacht Stars in Monaco Boat Show

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing

At the megabucks Monaco Yacht Show this past weekend in Monte Carlo, there was an estimated $4.5 billion worth of yachts on display, and none of the 98 craft on exhibit were under 100 ft. The biggest of them all however was the multistory, $200 million Anastasia (above) at 248 ft., recently completed by leading Dutch shipyard Oceanco for a Russian billionaire. Though the buyer's identity hasn't been confirmed, it's rumored to be Vladimir Potanin, the 25th richest man in the world with a fortune of $19.3 billion, the London Daily Mail reports.

The Anastasia features six decks, luxe quarters for 12 passengers and 20 crew members including a duplex master suite, a ten seat cinema, a discotheque with a laser light display and smoke machine, an artificial coral reef and 800-gallon fish tank, a swimming pool with a transparent wall, a sunbathing platform which converts into a stage for live music, a library upholstered in crocodile skin, and a hanger full of speedboats and jetskis.

Far from being an endangered species due to the grim economic outlook, these megayachts are more in demand than ever. In fact, the Anastasia is probably already worth more than Potanin paid for it. "People with $200 million to spend on a yacht tend to be above the credit crunch," Hugo Andreae, editor of Superyacht World magazine, tells the paper. "There are a lot them around, even if most are unknown to the wider world."

Gallery: Monaco Yacht Show '08

Tags: Anastasia, Megayacht, Monaco, Monaco Yacht Show, MonacoYachtShow, Monte Carlo, MonteCarlo, Oceanco, Russian billionaires, RussianBillionaires, Superyacht, Vladimir Potanin, VladimirPotanin, Yacht

Esquire Names Abramovich One of Century's Most Influential

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wealth

Esquire magazine has just named Luxist mascot Roman Abramovich one of the 75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century. The honor comes on the heels of the lovably profligate oligarch's advancement to 8th place on Vanity Fair's list of the world's 100 most powerful people, as we reported earlier this month.

The magazine cites Abramovich's rise from hawking rubber duckies at Moscow's open-air markets to a multi-billionaire oil kingpin, art collector extraordinaire, megayacht owner, Putin confidant, and so on.

Also landing slots on Esquire's list, which appears in the October issue and is not ranked, are Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, ruler of Dubai and one of the world's richest royals; luxury goods tycoon Bernard Arnault, chairman of LVMH; and provocative artist Jeff Koons, whose work sells for millions.

Tags: bernard arnault, BernardArnault, Dubai, Esquire magazine, EsquireMagazine, Jeff Koons, JeffKoons, roman abramovich, RomanAbramovich, russian billionaires, RussianBillionaires

Russian Billionaire Debuts His Magazine for Snobs

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wealth

Back in April we reported that Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov (right) was planning to spend $150 million launching a new magazine for snobs. Now the first issue of Snob is about to go on sale with a cover price of $18, but it isn't just a gaudy homage to the oligarch lifestyle as lived by Luxist mascot Roman Abramovich and his compatriots.

"A close look at both the target audience and the contents of Snob show that it doesn't promote the free-spending, bling-drenched stereotype made famous across the world by rich Russians in recent years," the London Independent notes. "While celebrating personal and financial success, it does so in a rather more restrained and worldly way." Too bad - we were kind of hoping for something a little more over-the-top.

Tags: Magazines, mikhail prokhorov, MikhailProkhorov, Russia, Russian billionaires, RussianBillionaires, Snobs

Russian Billionaire Sues Over "Attic-Like" $50 Million Plaza Penthouse

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

Russian billionaire Andrei Vavilov, who signed a $53.5 million contract sight unseen for an ultra-luxe penthouse at New York's famed Fifth Avenue hotel-turned-apartment building The Plaza (above), is suing the developers claiming the finished product is more like a tenement. Vavilov made the purchase prior to completion of the Plaza's $500 million renovations last year based on CAD models and a video presentation, which promised the residence would be the "epitome of luxury."

However, in a just-filed lawsuit, Vavilov accuses Plaza devloper El-Ad Properties and real estate agents Stribling & Associates of pulling a "bait-and-switch" in which they secretly made "unilateral and impermissible design changes" to the plans, the London Telegraph reports. He claims they made the apartment smaller, shrank the size of its windows and lowered the ceilings turning it into an "attic-like" garret instead of an elegant aerie.

Vavilov, who reportedly made $600 million six years ago when he sold his Russian oil company, Severnaya Neft, is demanding the return of the $10.7 million deposit he has already paid out and wants at least $20 million in damages for alleged breach of contract, fraud, deceptive trading practices and negligence. A lawyer for the defendants described his claims as "baseless".

Tags: Andrei Vavilov, AndreiVavilov, Fifth Avenue, FifthAvenue, New York, NewYork, Penthouse, Plaza, Russian billionaires, RussianBillionaires

Abramovich Climbs Vanity Fair's Most Powerful List

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wealth

Free-spending Russian billionaire and Luxist mascot Roman Abramovich has soared to No. 8 on this year's Vanity Fair 100, aka the magazine's annual "New Establishment" list of the world's most powerful and influential people. That's a big jump for the oligarch, who only ranked 20th on last year's list.

Aside from his impressive art and real estate acquisitions, VF notes that Abramovich is also getting more involved in Russian politics. Although he resigned a regional governorship in July, Abramovich plans to run for an even higher profile political post next month.

Elsewhere on the just-released list, Abramovich's pal Vladimir Putin has captured this year's No. 1 spot, while power couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are ranked at an eye-opening No. 9, ahead of Michael Bloomberg and Steven Spielberg. Check out the complete list here.

Source

Tags: Angelina Jolie, AngelinaJolie, Brad Pitt, BradPitt, roman abramovich, RomanAbramovich, Russian billionaires, RussianBillionaires, Vanity Fair, VanityFair, Vladimir Putin, VladimirPutin

100+ Russian Children to Inherit $1 Billion Apiece

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wealth

For the very first time in the history of Russia, over 100 children are in line to inherit more than $1 billion each from their ultra-rich oligarch fathers. Russian business magazine Finans has found the number of likely legatees swelled to 112 this year, as compared with 70 last year, the London Telegraph reports.

At the top of the list are the two toddlers belonging to Russia's richest man, Oleg Deripaska, who stand to inherit as much as $20 billion each. The paper notes the list is not terribly scientific, however, as the rankings were arrived at merely by dividing each billionaire's fortune by the number of children he has, without regard to age, primogeniture or other mitigating factors.

Therefore, since Luxist mascot Roman Abramovich (right) has five children, his brood only clocks in at No. 34, with an expectation of $4.6 billion each. Elsewhere on the list, Lukoil owner Vagit Alekperov's son makes No. 2 with $13.5 billion coming to him, and steel tycoon Vladimir Lisin's three children rank at No. 14 with $7.4 billion each. See the gallery for some of Russia's richest dads.

Gallery: Russian Billionaires

Tags: Billionaires, Inheritance, Lukoil, oleg deripaska, OlegDeripaska, Rich kids, RichKids, roman abramovich, RomanAbramovich, Russia, Russian billionaires, RussianBillionaires

Abramovich Bankrolls Bacon Show at Girlfriend's Gallery

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art, Wealth

Profligate Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich is bankrolling a major Francis Bacon exhibition at his gorgeous 27-year-old girlfriend Dasha Zhukova's new Moscow art gallery in 2010. The show at the luxe gallery, called the Garage Center for Contemporary Culture and also financed by Abramovich, will be entitled Death Shadowing Life: Francis Bacon: The Late Paintings, 1971-92, and will subsequently travel to the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, The Art Newspaper reports. The announcement would seem to explain Abramovich's astounding $86.3 million acquisition of a Bacon triptych at Sotheby's in May. Zhukova's gallery officially opens on Sept. 16 with an Ilya Kabakov retrospective.

Tags: Art galleries, ArtGalleries, contemporary art, ContemporaryArt, Dasha Zhukova, DashaZhukova, entertainment-awards, Francis Bacon, FrancisBacon, Hermitage Museum, HermitageMuseum, Ilya Kabakov, IlyaKabakov, Moscow, roman abramovich, RomanAbramovich, Russia, Russian billionaires, RussianBillionaires, Sothebys

Russia's Richest Man to Buy Hummer from GM?

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Oleg Deripaska (right), 40, the richest man in Russia with a fortune of $28 billion and the 9th richest man in world (Luxist fave Roman Abramovich is #15), has reportedly held talks with General Motors about acquiring their beleaguered Hummer division.

As my colleague Deidre Woollard reported last month, Hummer is in financial trouble in the wake of the oil and gas price explosion, with sales of the SUV having tumbled some 40 percent through June. Ailing GM has announced plans to unload the brand, and Deripaska, whose company Russian Machines recently acquired a major stake in Canadian auto parts manufacturer Magna International, is a natural buyer.

In the wake of the reports, Russian Machines issued a statement saying it was "not strategically interested in such a deal", which sounds to us like a non-denial denial. We would hardly expect him to invite counter-offers by publicizing a planned acquisition before the deal is signed. This past New Year's Eve Deripaska paid Barbadian signer Rihanna $500,000 for a private 40 minute performance for his friends.

Tags: General Motors, GeneralMotors, GM, Hummer, Oleg Deripaska, OlegDeripaska, Rihanna, roman abramovich, RomanAbramovich, russian billionaires, RussianBillionaires, SUV

Mystery Buyer of World's Most Expensive House Revealed

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

The mysterious billionaire who just bought the world's most expensive house - the $750 million Villa Leopolda (above) on the French Riviera - is none other than controversial Russian precious metals mogul Mikhail Prokhorov, the AFP reports. Luxist readers may remember Prokhorov as the over-the-top tycoon who announced plans in April to spend $150 million launching a magazine for snobs in Russia, called simply Snob. Prokhorov is ranked as the 24th richest man in the world with a $22 billion fortune. Some earlier reports had erroneously identified the villa's buyer as Roman Abramovich. Last year Prokhorov was briefly detained during an investigation into a suspected prostitution ring at the ritzy ski resort he frequents in the French Alps.

Tags: French Riviera, FrenchRiviera, La Leopolda, LaLeopolda, Magazines, Mikhail Prokhorov, MikhailProkhorov, prostitution ring, ProstitutionRing, roman abramovich, RomanAbramovich, Russian billionaires, RussianBillionaires, Snobs, Villa Leopolda, VillaLeopolda

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