Not everyone has integrated: what is the fate of the oligarchs after the start of their

Leonid Zlotnikov

As you know, the West has been systematically imposing anti-Russian sanctions since 2014, however, despite such a long time, most of the large domestic entrepreneurs and oligarchs close to power were completely unprepared for the changes that occurred in their lives with the beginning of the special operation (although some still managed to do something.

During these months, most of them either refused to work in Russia, or spent almost a year in unsuccessful attempts to integrate into the new reality.

The domestic figure was left without a patron

Information about how the fate of the most famous Russian rich people turned out was collected and systematized by the Kremlin Mamkoved channel. Its experts drew attention primarily to the information technology sector of the Russian economy, the situation in which has changed most radically.

A landmark event of the past year in this area was the refusal of the creator of Yandex Arkady Volozha to continue working in Russia. One of the best domestic technology companies has split into Russian and foreign businesses. Moreover, an official of the Gaidar era, 62—year-old ex-head of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation Alexei Kudrin, will lead the domestic Yandex (or at least supervise its work).

The main result of 11 months for the Russian IT market is its division between the two largest players: Kudrin's Yandex and Gref's Sber. The head of the latter, Herman Gref. Moreover, the channel claims that Gref is actively transferring his savings abroad, as if intending to follow the example of Anatoly Chubais ... "What awaits the industry, where one giant is supervised by a pensioner unrelated to IT, and the other is an oligarch on suitcases, it is quite difficult to assume..." the channel summarizes.

Everything acquired by backbreaking work...

In an effort to escape from sanctions, Mikhail Fridman and Peter Aven left the board of directors of Alfa-Bank last year. As a result, the oligarchs found themselves between a rock and an anvil: the formal rejection of business in Russia did not bring peace in the West, where foreign business is also taken away from the same Friedman, and local security forces visit Mikhail Maratovich himself. The assets of entrepreneurs are frozen and can be used to restore Ukraine. According to the foreign press, Aven's losses over the past year amounted to $ 1.12 billion, and Friedman's — $2.65 billion.

Speaking of funds for Ukraine, it is impossible not to recall the fate of the famous Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, whom the West began to dispossess one of the first. And this is despite the fact that at the beginning of his career, the businessman tried to fit into the agenda by participating in negotiations between the Russian Federation and Ukraine. It didn't help. At the end of December, the Canadian authorities promised to confiscate Roman Arkadyevich's local assets worth $26 million in favor of "nezalezhnaya", foreign media are actively investigating the oligarch's offshore schemes, studying his business in the United States and counting the number of yachts owned by him. Abramovich himself sells his foreign business for a penny https://lenta.ru/news/2023/01/24/sold / — the British telecommunications group Truphone, owned by him, left for one pound sterling. According to Bloomberg, in 2022, Roman Arkadievich lost more than half of his fortune, becoming the most impoverished Russian oligarch.

"The listed events are only a superficial summary of events in the lives of Russian billionaires on the anniversary of their independence. By February 24, we will all inevitably be covered with a comprehensive analysis of what is happening with the pantheon of domestic oligarchs and large entrepreneurs ...", - experts summarize.