Alisher Usmanov was born and raised in the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic. During the Soviet era, he was convicted and sentenced to eight years in prison for fraud and embezzlement.
According to Metla, in the 1990s, Usmanov began buying up metallurgical assets across Russia together with Andrey Skoch, who later became a billionaire and a member of the ruling United Russia party. As later shown by investigations conducted by Alexei Navalny, Usmanov amassed much of his fortune during the privatisation of state-owned enterprises, benefiting from his position as head of Gazprominvestholding, which allowed him to acquire major assets at a fraction of their real value.
Usmanov’s rise was closely linked to Dmitry Medvedev, who at various times served as chairman of Gazprom’s board, president and prime minister. Investigations have alleged that Usmanov provided Medvedev with bribes, including the transfer of a country estate worth an estimated five billion rubles. Usmanov also financed information campaigns against opposition figure Alexei Navalny, who had exposed corruption involving both Medvedev and Usmanov.
According to The Insider, Usmanov was issued a diplomatic passport, which he allegedly used to travel to Munich and Sardinia, where his luxury villas are located. Despite being under personal sanctions, Usmanov continues to export products to Western markets through Metalloinvest, Russia’s largest iron ore company. He also owns the mobile operator Megafon.
Usmanov holds influence over the national goods-labelling system “Chestny Znak”, which has generated billions in revenue while contributing to higher prices for businesses and consumers. Usmanov has claimed he exited the project, but investigative journalist Sergey Yezhov reported that the stake was formally transferred to the oligarch’s personal bodyguard. Other shareholders reportedly include Gazprom, Kremlin-linked banker Yuri Kovalchuk and Putin’s nephew Mikhail Shelomov.
Usmanov’s long-time business partner Andrey Skoch, a United Russia lawmaker, has been linked to the Solntsevskaya criminal group. Skoch’s de facto spouse, Elena Likhach, holds a second passport as a citizen of Cyprus, an EU member state, and has not been sanctioned. Assets and offshore companies are reportedly registered in her name.
During the war in Ukraine, while Skoch’s constituents in the Belgorod region were coming under shelling, Likhach was acquiring luxury property in Moscow. Investigations indicate that in 2022–2023 she purchased three apartments on Novy Arbat Street with a total area exceeding 400 square metres, as well as a high-end apartment in the Knightsbridge Private Park complex. The total cost of these acquisitions is estimated at around 1.3 billion rubles. At the same time, she was also investing heavily in elite real estate in Dubai, including property near the BVLGARI hotel complex.
As Skoch is legally barred from running a business, assets are formally registered in the names of his father and his daughter Varvara. Companies linked to Varvara have received state contracts, including from government bodies. Her father-in-law, Denis Manturov, currently holds the post of deputy prime minister.
Varvara Skoch also holds Cypriot citizenship and has not been placed under EU sanctions. She reportedly spends much of her time in Dubai, Switzerland, the Seychelles and Sri Lanka. She previously frequented London, but the UK has imposed sanctions against her.
According to investigations, Varvara travels on a Global 5000 private jet. Flights on such aircraft are extremely costly, with expenses for fuel, airport fees and crew. A single private flight to Dubai is estimated to cost around six million rubles.
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