Roman Abramovich
Roman Arkadievich Abramovich (Рома́н Арка́дьевич Абрамо́вич) (born October 24, 1966) is a Russian oil billionaire, referred to in Russia as one of the oligarchs.
Abramovich lost his mother at the age of 18 months, his father subsequently being killed in a construction accident when Abramovich was a child of four years. Adopted by his paternal uncle and raised by his Jewish family in the harsh environment of Siberia, Abramovich has been able to transform hardship into significant success.
Abramovich attended the Industrial Institute in the city of Ukhta before being drafted into the Red Army, the Soviet military ground force.
Abramovich gained his wealth by cheaply acquiring shares in newly-privatised industries after the fall of communism. He is now one of the main shareholders in Sibneft, a large oil company, and RusAl, the world's second-largest aluminium producer, as well as various other companies.
In 2003 he became the owner of the companies that control Chelsea Football Club in the United Kingdom. Since he took control, Chelsea (now termed Chelski by British tabloids) have gone on a buying spree of some of the game's most skilled players. The result was near-instant success, with Chelsea spending the 2003-2004 season at or near the top of the Premiership (finishing second to Arsenal) and doing well in the prestigious Champions League competition (being knocked out in the semi-finals). The second place finish in the Premiership automatically qualifies them for the group phase of the 2004-05 Champions League.
The move into football is seen as a diversification of his commercial interests out of Russia. The proposed merger of Sibneft with Yukos is seen by most as a distancing of himself from Russia, at a time when the Kremlin appears to have decided to bring at least some of the oligarchs to account for their colourful past business practices. Abramovich is a close associate of controversial Boris Berezovsky who sold him his stake in Sibneft. Berezovsky fled to London before being charged with fraud and corruption by Russian authorities.
In July 2004 it was reported that Abramovich had agreed a three-year sponsorship deal worth GBP 30 million (USD 55 million, EUR 44.5 million, RUR 1.6 billion) between the Russian team CSKA Moscow and Sibneft, in an apparent attempt to build a second "super team". UEFA rules prevent one person owning more than one team participating in UEFA competitions, so Abramovich will not be the formal owner of CSKA, though he was named most influential person in Russian football in the Russian magazine Pro Sport at the end of June 2004. The involvement with CSKA is viewed as an attempt to counter accusations of being unpatriotic which were made at the time of the Chelsea purchase.
Abramovich is known as a fan of Formula One and is often seen in the paddock at races; in 2004, after the sport's owner Bernie Ecclestone was seen giving Abramovich a tour of the pitlane at the Monaco Grand Prix, rumours circulated that he was considering investing in or purchasing an F1 team.
Abramovich is also the governor of the remote region of Chukotka in Siberia, where he has pumped in hundreds of millions of dollars to improve the quality of life in the area.