The nation’s wealthiest have reportedly seen their fortunes grow by $16 billion this year
© Getty Images / Image Source/InStock
The collective net worth of Russia’s richest people has soared by $16 billion since the beginning of the year, despite the unprecedented sanctions pressure placed on the nation’s business elite, according to Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index.
Vladimir Potanin, the owner of mining giant Norilsk Nickel, leads the Russian segment of the rating once again, with his fortune estimated at $29 billion, the index showed. Potanin was ranked as the world’s 44th richest person.
Leonid Mikhelson, a co-owner of Russia’s second-largest natural gas producer Novatek, and Vladimir Lisin, the majority shareholder of Russia’s NLMK steel company, came in second and third respectively. Mikhelson’s fortune amounted to $27.7 billion, marking an increase of $3.09 billion, while the net worth of Lisin saw a growth by $1.74 billion to $21.6 billion. Bloomberg placed the two at 48th and 78th respectively in the global ranking.
Lukoil’s ex-boss Vagit Alekperov was ranked as the fourth-richest Russian businessman. He has earned $3.73 billion since the beginning of the year, the most among all Russians on the list, with his fortune estimated at $19.1 billion.
READ MORE: Sharp rise in number of Moscow billionaires – Forbes
Alkperov was followed by Alisher Usmanov, co-owner of cell phone service operator Megafon, whose fortune has increased by $217 million over the past four months to $18.7billion. He is ranked 91st in the Bloomberg’s world billionaires Index.
Alexey Mordashov, the chairman of steel giant Severstal, took sixth place on the index of Russia’s richest as per Bloomberg, with a total of $18.3 billion. His net worth has grown by $350 million.
The Bloomberg Billionaires Index is a ranking of the world’s 500 richest people and is calculated on the basis of the share price of the companies they own.
For more stories on economy & finance visit RT’s business section
