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February 15, 2011

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Putin's old judo partner climbs Russia rich list

A FORMER judo sparring partner of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his younger brother have advanced up the list of Russia's richest people compiled by a respected national magazine.

Finans magazine said yesterday that Arkady Rotenberg, 59, who as a teenager trained in judo with Putin in St Petersburg, jumped 17 positions in the list to become Russia's 63th richest person with an estimated wealth of US$1.75 billion.

Rotenberg, who runs St Petersburg's judo club Yavara-Neva, where Putin is an honorary president, controls energy service company Stroygazmontazh, which was contracted to build parts of the US$12 billion Nord Stream gas pipeline through the Baltic Sea.

Rotenberg is also a shareholder in construction group Mostotrest, which raised US$388 million in an initial public offering last year and has lucrative contracts in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, where the 2014 Winter Olympics will be held.

Rotenberg's younger brother and business partner, Boris, also an avid judoist, shares 63rd position with his brother. The two were in 395th place in Finans' list of 500 richest Russians in 2009.

The top of the list saw few changes, with steel tycoon Vladimir Lisin, an owner of Novolipetsk Steel, firmly in first place with a wealth pot up from US$18.8 billion at the start of 2010 to US$28.3 billion now.

The change was broadly in line with the increase in metals stock valuations and Russian stock indices. There were no new faces among the 10 richest Russians.

Another metals tycoon, Mikhail Prokhorov, worth US$22.7 billion, retained his second position while metals-to-telecoms magnate Alisher Usmanov pushed billionaire Chelsea soccer club owner Roman Abramovich out of third position.

The magazine attributed Usmanov's advance to an upcoming float of his Metalloinvest company, expansion of mobile operator Megafon where Usmanov holds a 39 percent stake, and a US$900 million London listing of his Mail.ru Internet firm.

Yuri Kovalchuk, 59, a scientist-turned-banker who was Putin's country house neighbor in the 1990s, rose through 20 positions to become Russia's 115th richest person. Another neighbor Nikolai Shamalov rose 120 positions to 184th place.

Kovalchuk's National Media Group has rapidly expanded in recent months in what analysts see as a jostling for influential media assets ahead of the 2012 presidential election, in which Putin may stand as a candidate.


 

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