Animated: Change in Russian Billionaires' Wealth Since 2022
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Animated: Change in Russian Billionaires’ Wealth Since 2022

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Animated: Change in Russian Billionaires’ Wealth Since 2022

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, many countries retaliated with sanctions targeting Russian billionaires—the oligarchs—and politicians directly.

And as the war has progressed, those sanctions have intensified, with even the relatives and shell companies of these billionaires being targeted over time. The reason? These oligarchs are interconnected to Russia’s government, lending vocal and fiscal support in exchange for sweetheart deals or beneficial government oversight.

This animation from James Eagle shows how the estimated net wealth of the 22 wealthiest Russian billionaires on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index in April 2023 has changed since January 2022, prior to the start of the conflict.

Net Wealth of Top Russian Billionaires

The 22 wealthiest Russian billionaires in April 20, 2023 lost a collective $90.4 billion in net worth since January 5, 2022.

RankNameMain IndustryNet Wealth
(Apr 20, 2023)
Net Wealth
(Jan 5, 2022)
% Change
1Vladimir PotaninCommodities$29.6B$31.1B -4.8%
2Leonid MikhelsonEnergy$27.2B$33.2B-18.1%
3Vladimir LisinIndustrial$21.5B$28.0B-23.2%
4Vagit AlekperovEnergy$19.1B$22.8B-16.2%
5Alisher UsmanovDiversified$19.1B$21.2B-9.9%
6Alexey MordashovIndustrial$18.1B$29.1B-37.8%
7Mikhail ProkhorovDiversified$14.3B$14.0B2.1%
8Gennady TimchenkoDiversified$13.2B$23.1B-42.9%
9Andrey MelnichenkoIndustrial$12.3B$17.8B-30.9%
10Mikhail FridmanDiversified$12.0B$14.1B-14.9%
11Dmitry RybolovlevDiversified$10.8B$11.2B-3.6%
12Andrey GuryevIndustrial$10.1B$8.0B26.3%
13Victor RashnikovIndustrial$9.1B$14.4B-36.8%
14Suleiman KerimovCommodities$8.9B$15.2B-41.4%
15German KhanDiversified$8.1B$9.6B-15.6%
16Roman AbramovichDiversified$7.7B$18.2B-57.7%
17Viktor VekselbergIndustrial$7.3B$18.6B-60.8%
18Leonid FedunEnergy$7.0B$8.9B-21.3%
19Alexander AbramovIndustrial$6.8B$9.1B-25.3%
20Vyacheslav KantorIndustrial$6.4B$9.1B-29.7%
21Petr AvenDiversified$5.8B$6.6B-12.1%
22Alexey KuzmichevDiversified$5.8B$7.3B-20.5%

The heaviest hit include Viktor Vekselberg, who holds a stake in UC Rusal, the world’s third largest aluminum producer. Since the start of the war, he’s lost an estimated $11.3 billion or 61% of his net worth from January 2022.

Roman Abramovich, who got his start in the early oligarchy through oil conglomerates, was also hit hard by the sanctions. He lost $10.5 billion or 58% of his net worth from January 2022, and was forced to sell Chelsea Football Club in one of the biggest sports team sales in history.

Notably, the richest oligarchs haven’t lost as much. Mining giant Norilsk Nickel’s largest shareholder, Vladimir Potanin, saw his net worth only drop by 4.8%. After being hit hard at the onset of the war in Ukraine, he quickly rebounded and at many times had an even higher net worth, reaching $35.6 billion in June 2022.

And a few oligarchs, like former Norilsk Nickel CEO Mikhail Prokhorov and phosphate-based fertilizer baron Andrey Guryev, saw their wealth increase since January 2022. Guryev grew his net worth by $2 billion or 26%, while Prokhorov (who formerly owned the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets) saw his net worth even out at a gain of $0.3 billion or 2%.

Oligarch Support of Russia (or Lack Thereof)

As Russia’s war with Ukraine has dragged on, and sanctions have continued to weigh on Russian billionaires, politicians, and companies, their effects have been uncertain.

Oligarchs have lost net worth, relinquished foreign businesses, and even had prized possessions like mansions and yachts seized. At the same time, though Russia’s economy has weakened under sanctions, bolstered trade with countries like China, India, and Saudi Arabia have kept it stronger than expected.

And though some oligarchs have voiced various concerns over the ongoing war, the wealthiest have been careful to toe the line. Russian billionaires and politicians that did vocalize criticism, including Lukoil chairman Ravil Maganov, have been found dead in apparent suicides, heart attacks, and accidents.

The most serious oligarch rebellion wasn’t due to economic hardships, but military operations. Oligarch and mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin launched an attempted coup in June 2023, reportedly retreating after support from within Russia’s military quickly fizzled.

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Politics

Ranked: Top 10 Donors of the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election

In four of the last five U.S. elections, the candidate who raised the most money won.

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Bar chart ranking the top 10 Donors of the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election

Ranked: Top 10 Donors of the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Key Takeaways

  • In the most expensive U.S. election to date, billionaire donors played a critical role in shaping the political landscape.
  • Elon Musk was by far the largest individual donor of the 2024 election, with nearly $300 million contributed to the Republican party.
  • From the Top 10 donors, eight lean towards Republican.

The Red Wave of 2024

Money plays a powerful role in U.S. presidential campaigns. The more funding a campaign has, the more it can invest in advertising and outreach to connect with voters. In fact, in four of the last five general elections—2016 being the exception—the candidate whose campaign raised the most money won the presidency.

Billionaires overwhelmingly supported Republican candidate Donald Trump in the 2024 election cycle. The top 10 individual donors collectively contributed over $1.2 billion, with only a small fraction going to Democrats.

Elon Musk—now head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), tasked with slashing federal spending—led the pack with $291 million in contributions. Trailing him was Timothy Mellon, a reclusive heir to the Pittsburgh-based Mellon banking family, who contributed nearly $200 million.

DonorTotal ContributionsLean
Elon Musk$291,482,587Republican
Timothy Mellon$197,047,200Republican
Miriam Adelson$148,294,900Republican
Richard & Elizabeth Uihlein$143,463,906Republican
Kenneth Griffin$108,402,184Republican
Jeffrey & Janine Yass$101,128,680Republican
Paul Singer$66,800,800Republican
Michael Bloomberg$64,339,734Democrat
Dustin Moskovitz$50,671,800Democrat
Marc Andreessen$42,365,113Republican

Coming in third was Miriam Adelson, whose fortune stems from the Las Vegas Sands casino empire and a stake in the Dallas Mavericks basketball team.

Ken Griffin, CEO of Citadel LLC, donated $108 million. In 2023 alone, Citadel posted annual profits of $8.1 billion, highlighting the immense financial firepower behind its founder.

Of the top 10 donors, eight supported the Republican party, channeling their wealth to conservative super PACs and candidates. Only two—Michael Bloomberg (founder of Bloomberg L.P.) and Dustin Moskovitz (Facebook co-founder)—backed Democrats, contributing about $115 million combined.

Learn More on the Voronoi App 

If you enjoyed this topic, check out this graphic showing some of the most notable billionaires who attended President Donald Trump’s inauguration.

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