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 Roman Arkadievich Abramovich, having about 20 million
dollars of his own fortune and being one of the most prosperous people of the
planet, possesses only steamboats from items of material capitalistic wealth
mentioned in the title of the article. It's better to say, he owns not exactly
steamboats, but 4 yachts, totally costing 304 million English pounds sterling.
However, his way to prosperity and world prominence was not
smooth. If you watched the film «Oligarch» (tycoon) with Vladimir Mashkov in
the leading role, you certainly remember the scene, where the main character is
hardly seven years old. His parents died and he was at risk to get to the
asylum. Surely, though the film director added some artistic tragedy and
fiction to the situation, it has a straight correspondence to the life of
Abramovich. He was born in 1966 in Saratov, his parents died young - mother 1,5
year later after his birth , father died in the accident when Roman was four
years old. The boy was brought up by his uncle, who lived in Moscow. Roman studied
well, but, unfortunately, not excellent, so he failed to enter some Moscow
Universities. Consequently, the future oligarch went to serve in the army,
where he spent 2 years, from 1984 to 1986. He served in an auto troop of the
artillery regiment situated in Vladimirskaya oblast.
After two years in the army, Abramovich returned to his
country, embraced by «perestroika», and joined cooperative movement. Together
with his team-mates, the future managers of Sibneft, Abramovich founded a
cooperative society, called Uyut (Coziness) for polymeric toys production.
However, a career of «toys magnate» didn't not attract Roman Arkadievich. So he
soon started mediatory activity in the sphere of deals with petroleum products.
He didn't have luck with plants and newspapers. But he had
luck with numerous planes, helicopters, expensive cars, private residences all
over the world, the football team, recently having played in the Champion's
league, and the Eastern subject of the Russian Federation, for development of
which the multi-millionaire and simultaneously the governor invested his own
resources. The surname «Abramovich» became for Russia a nominal name, denoting
a super prosperous person, so as the surnames of Rockefeller or Gates.
Having started fuel business, Abramovich found his gold
mine. At the end of nineties Roman Arkadievich mentioned that he owed to luck
and good circumstances his wealth. Indeed, in the epoch of the USSR collapse,
when political and economic relations were unstable, when legal base wasn't
adjusted to new economical circumstances and law-enforcement system wasn't up
to the proper level, energetic and enterprising people got a unique chance to
make a multimillion pile. The petrol was a guide to the wealth. This product
doesn't need to be tied up; its price is increasing independently. Due to some
tricky operations, including loans-for-share in the second part of the
nineties, by 1998 -1999 Abramovich has become not only the owner of Sibneft,
one of the largest petrol companies, but also the shareholder of such giants as
Public Russian Television and AEROFLOT.
To the epoch of capital accumulation belongs one of not
decent pages of Abramovich's business biography. In 1992 Moscow Agency of
Internal Affairs initiated proceedings against Abramovich, concerning case of
stealing of 55 diesel fuel tanks. According to investigation materials,
business structure headed by Abramovich, was going to deliver fuel in one of
military units, but, consequently, sold it at market prices. However, the
proceedings were ceased with a mark «absence of crime in the act». Mysterious
developments prompted journalists a supposition that the proceedings,
concerning fuel tanks, are so-called governmental mechanism of control over
Abramovich. No doubt, nothing will make the situation clear in the near future.
Before 1998 the surname «Abramovich» wasn't familiar to the
public, as mass media didn't provide any information about him. Once it was
mentioned by Aleksandr Korzhakov, the President's guardian that Abramovich
belongs to Yeltsin's nearest circle, so-called «family», and is considered a «family»
treasurer, responsible for footing the bills of the presidential nearest and
dearest. After this speech, it became clear that Abramovich had
acquaintanceship among financial and political elite of the country.
At the end of 1999 Abramovich was elected the deputy from
Chukotskiy Autonomous District in the State Duma, and one year later he won the
elections for Chukotka's governor. According to some opinion, his inviolability
as the deputy and later on as the governor guaranteed him avoidance of any
proceeding against him.
It was logical, as soon a danger of proceedings initiation
arose, when Accounts Chamber found out that the loans-for-share, which made
Abramovich one of the greatest country's petrol magnates, were held not in
accordance with procedures, and capitalization of privatized companies wasn't efficient,
so, consequently, the state budget didn't receive great sums of money. It is
considered, Abramovich just used the possibility to try out management activity
but on a country-wide scale. Note that Roman Arkadievich succeeded in life
improvement for citizens of Chukotka by at his own expense by making
investments into the autonomous area. His achievements resulted in approval of
his candidacy for a governor by President Putin.
However, Abramovich gained greater popularity in summer
2003, when he repurchased one of the oldest and the most popular English clubs
- London Chelsea.
At that time «noblemen's» condition was not easy, and the
former owners eagerly accepted the offer of Russian oligarch Abramovich. He
paid out Chelsea's debts, equal to approximately 150 pounds, invested much
recourses into development of the club and purchasing of high-class players.
Thanks to this, during five years, when Abramovich owned Chelsea, the team won
some sub-national prizes and good fame on an international scale.
It should be mentioned that numerous accusations against
Abramovich that he spends money for foreign football development without
helping native sport have no grounds. Up to this moment Abramovich has been investing
the hockey club Avangard (Omsk). Besides, he concluded sponsorship agreements
with the football club CSKA. And National Football Academy, existing at the
oligarch's expense, realizes children's sport development program. Moreover,
before he bought Chelsea, Abramovich had tried to purchase Moscow Torpedo, but
the owners of the team were not eager to make a deal.
Here is a brief portrait of Roman Abramovich, a former
petrol magnate (SIBNEFT was sold to the government some years ago), the owner
of a high-class football club, a multimillionaire, living either in London or
in Chukotka. What color the portrait would be colored: black, white or a
middle-tone, depends on a spectator.
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