Abramovich second in Russian billionaire list

More billionaires, including Chelsea boss Roman Abramovich, are based in Moscow than any other city in the world, Forbes magazine’s Russian edition said today, listing 33 billionaires who either live in the Russian capital or amassed their fortunes there.

Moscow edges out New York City, with 31 billionaires, magazine officials said at a news conference.

But despite Russia’s currently thriving economy, Forbes counts far more billionaires in the United States – 277 compared with Russia’s 36.

For Russia’s richest man and one other tycoon on the list, calling Moscow home has a darkly ironic ring.

Mikhail Khodorkovsky, with wealth estimated at €11.9bn, and Platon Lebedev – No. 22 with €1.5bn – are jailed in the capital on charges connected to a government probe of the Yukos oil company and related operations.

Three others on the list are believed to be living in Israel as self-avowed refugees. Vladimir Nevzlin, Mikhail Brudno and Vladimir Dubov all are sought by Russian authorities in the Yukos case.

Second on the overall list is oil and aluminium magnate Roman Abramovich (€10.5bn), who gained wide attention with his purchase of Chelsea soccer team.

Third-ranked Viktor Vekselberg made waves this year in another Forbes connection – he purchased 10 Faberge eggs that had previously belonged to the magazine’s late publisher Malcolm Forbes.