This billionaire co-founded one of Russia’s largest private banks, MDM Bank, in 1993, and has interests in companies producing mineral fertilisers and extracting coal. His £300 million yacht, “A,” named after his Serbian model wife Aleksandra, is 400ft long and designed by Philippe Starck. With 42 staff to look after the whims of just 14 guests, it is no wonder that Melnichenko decided to sail on it to Norway to collect three paintings by Claude Monet that he’d purchased. By collecting them there he also cleverly avoided the EU’s import taxes.

The Roll Call - OLIGARCHS

1

Bidzina Ivanishvili (ბიძინა ივანიშვილი, AKA “Boris Ivanishvili”)

2

Goga Ashkenazi (born Gaukhar Berkalieva)

3

Vladislav Doronin (Владислав Доронин, also known as “Vlad Doronin”)

4

Leonard Blavatnik (Леонид Валентинович Блаватник)

5

Leon Max (born Leonid Maxovich Rodovinksi)

6

Evgeny Lebedev

7

Andrey Borodin

8

Leonid Rozhetskin

9

Dmitry Rybolovlev

10

Andrey Melnichenko

11

Arkady Novikov