Russian Oil Wealth, Kremlin and Oligarchs | 21 comments (21 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Chabad Twist and the Man in the Kremlin (none / 0)

The Rabbi and the Man in the Kremlin | Haaretz - Dec. 2004 |
One of the plaques dwarfs all the rest. It is emblazoned with the name - in Yiddish and Russian - of Roman Abramovich. Abramovich is the owner of the Sibneft oil company and the British Chelsea soccer club. On the 2004 Forbes magazine list of the wealthiest Russians, he appears in second place. His personal wealth is estimated at $10.6 billion. Not far from his plaque is that of Viktor Vekselberg, whose personal wealth is estimated at $5.9 billion. Between them is the plaque of aluminum tycoon Oleg Deripaska, with a personal fortune of $4.5 billion.
However, the most famous man of all, who until recently topped the list, is not there. "No. Mikhail Khodorkovsky hasn't contributed," says the guide, who is from Chabad.
Lazar sorts the donors to the federation into three categories: those who give in secret, those who did it for the sake of heaven, and those who don't. "It could very well be that there are people who want to donate to us, because they understand that Jews are a power and they want to be close to the Jewish community," he admits.
What does the Federation of Jewish Communities give in return for the generous support of the man who is called "the democratic czar of Russia?"

○ Comrades-In-Arms : Roman Abramovich vs. Boris Berezovsky | Vanity Fair - Nov. 2012 |

The lawsuits between Russian oligarchs keep the pockets of UK solicitors well filled ....

○ Oligarch v. oligarch: London's courts attract litigious tycoons | Daily Beast - July 2012 |
○ The unsavoury alliance between oligarchs and London's top lawyers | The Guardian Opinion - May 2018 |