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Rinat Akhmetov

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Rinat Akhmetov

Date of Birth: 21.09.1966

Rinat Leonidovich Akhmetov is a Ukrainian businessman, billionaire, banker, economist, and politician of Tatar origin, a people's deputy of Ukraine from the Party of Regions (2006-2007, 2007-2012), the richest person in Ukraine, president of FC 'Shakhtar'.

Place of Birth. Education. Rinat Akhmetov was born in Donetsk to a miner from Tatarstan. In 2001, he graduated from Donetsk National University with a degree in 'Marketing' (qualification - 'Economist').

The Beginning of a Great Journey. The biography of the billionaire is not without white spots. For example, like many other Ukrainian rich, he has not clearly explained when and how he earned his startup capital and first million. In his interviews, Akhmetov states that he managed to get rich by taking many entrepreneurial risks in the early years after the collapse of the USSR. In 1995, he was at the origins of the creation of Dongorbank.

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It remains a mystery to the public whether only friendship and legal business bound Akhmetov with Akhat Bragin (also known as Alex Greek). He was a prominent Donetsk businessman (in particular, he was known as the president of FC 'Shakhtar') and, according to law enforcement agencies, an influential criminal authority. He died in October 1995 at the Donetsk 'Shakhtar' stadium as a result of a planned explosion.

Assets and Rankings. Akhmetov is considered the richest person in Ukraine. He receives his income from more than 90 enterprises that are directly or indirectly controlled by the largest management company in Ukraine, System Capital Management (SCM). Among them are the Azovstal Metallurgical Plant, Mariupol Ilyich Iron and Steel Works, Khrtizsky Pipe Plant, First Ukrainian International Bank (PUMB), Insurance Company ASK, and a publishing holding whose assets are managed by LLC Segodnya Multimedia, TRC Ukraine, LLC Astelit (mobile operator life:)), FC 'Shakhtar' (Donetsk), and the GeFest gas station network. The number of employees at SCM enterprises exceeds 160,000 people.

The owner of 90% of SCM shares does not lose leading positions in foreign and domestic top lists of the wealthiest people. Data on Akhmetov's wealth varies, but his leadership among compatriots remains stable. Among Akhmetov's ranking achievements was 11th place among Central and Eastern Europeans according to the Polish magazine Wprost (with a state of $7.2 billion) and the first line in the list of the richest Ukrainians compiled by Korrespondent magazine. In 2006, his fortune was estimated by Ukrainian experts at $11.8 billion, a year later - about $15 billion. This was more than three times the figure of the second-placed Viktor Pinchuk, the owner of Interpipe Group of Companies and son-in-law of ex-president Leonid Kuchma.

In June 2008, experts from Korrespondent estimated the assets of the Donetsk businessman at $31.1 billion, naming him the richest in Europe and the CIS. The amount turned out to be twice as much as a year ago and $1.5 billion more than the assets of the richest Russian, Oleg Deripaska. In April 2008, Forbes, counting Deripaska's wealth at $28.6 billion, estimated the wealth of the richest Ukrainian 'only' at $7.3 billion, placing him 127th in the global rankings of the wealthy. In the spring of 2012, Forbes estimated Akhmetov's fortune at $16 billion, in March 2013 it decreased to $15.4 billion, and in 2014 to $11.2 billion.

In November 2006, the auditing company PricewaterhouseCoopers completed the audit of the consolidated financial statements of SCM for 2005. According to the report, the group's enterprises' assets at the end of 2005 amounted to $7.235 billion. The net profit of SCM (excluding the financial results of the group's enterprises) for 2006 amounted to 1.232 billion UAH.

According to the results of 2007, the net profit of SCM amounted to more than 19 billion UAH. Such growth in financial indicators, as stated in the press release, was the result of significant growth in the market value of the group's enterprises' shares after they joined the group.

In 2005, SCM established the charitable foundation 'Development of Ukraine', with its president being the head of SCM himself. Since 2007, the foundation became Akhmetov's personal charitable project, for the financing of which he allocated $150 million for projects and programs 'Development of Ukraine' for 5 years.

In May 2014, he declared the illegality of the existence of the Donetsk People's Republic and announced a strike at his enterprises. He announced the creation of voluntary people's patrols that, together with the police, would control order on the streets of Donetsk.

Participation in Politics. During the presidential election campaign of 2004, Akhmetov actively supported the pro-government candidate, Prime Minister of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych, with whom he had long-standing business and friendly relations. After Viktor Yushchenko's victory, Akhmetov's business empire, as many thought at the time, was on the brink of collapse. A serious shock for the entrepreneur in the fall of 2005 was the reprivatization of the Krivorozhstal metallurgical plant, which he owned together with Pinchuk. After the Orange Revolution, the loss of Krivorozhstal turned out to be significant, but it was the only material loss.

In the summer of 2005, law enforcement agencies suspected that Akhmetov might be connected to criminal conflicts from 18 years ago and several economic crimes. Invitations to give testimony poured into the businessman's addresses, followed by searches in his offices and residence.

Akhmetov was one of the main sponsors of the Party of Regions. In spring 2006, he entered the Verkhovna Rada of the 5th convocation under number 7 in the electoral list. During his time as a people's deputy, he did not stand out for bright speeches or legislative initiatives. He also did not stand out for regularly attending sessions of the Verkhovna Rada.

In 2007-2012, he was a people's deputy of the 6th convocation from the Party of Regions (number 7 in the list).

In the parliamentary elections of 2012, he refused to run for deputy.

Titles, Awards. Akhmetov is an Honored Worker of Physical Culture and Sports of Ukraine. Full cavalier of the Order 'For Merits'. Awarded the Order of Yaroslav the Wise of the 5th degree, the 'Miner's Glory' medal of I-III degrees, and the gold medal of the Ukrainian Football Championship (2002, 2005, and 2006). He is a laureate of the 'Recognition' award - 'for significant contributions to patronage'.

Family. Married, wife - Lilia Akhmetova (Smirnova), born in 1965. Today she holds the position of chairman of the audit commission of SCM. Her previous job and position, according to SCM's reporting information for 2006, was at the Donetsk plant of rubber technical products as a 2nd category motorist. The Akhmetov couple has two sons - Damir (born in 1988) and Almir (born in 1997). The businessman's mother, Nakiya Nasredinovna, is the chairwoman of the supervisory board of SCM.

Hobbies. Akhmetov's main passion is sports (football, boxing, wushu).

20.09.2023.