Viktor Vekselberg
Russian businessman; founder of the Renova Group; under US sanctions since 2018
| Viktor Vekselberg
| |
|---|---|
| Image | .jpg) Vekselberg in 2008 |
| Born | 14 April 1957 (Forbes) Ukraine (Forbes) |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Residence | Moscow (Forbes) |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Founder and chairman of the Renova Group; co-founder of UC Rusal; former TNK-BP shareholder |
| Education | Moscow State University of Railway Engineering (Forbes) |
Viktor Vekselberg (born 14 April 1957) is a Russian businessman and the founder and board chairman of the Renova Group, which has interests in energy and other sectors of the Russian economy.[1][2] The US Treasury placed him and Renova under sanctions in April 2018.[2] In April 2022 Spanish police seized his superyacht Tango in Mallorca at the request of the US Justice Department, in the first seizure by its KleptoCapture task force.[3][4] On 11 November 2026 the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires list ranked Vekselberg 363rd in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$9.8 billion; Forbes lists the source of wealth as metals, investments.[1][5] In the annual World's Billionaires list published in 2026, Forbes had ranked Vekselberg 323rd, at US$10.2 billion.[6]
Aluminium and oil
Forbes says Vekselberg was born in Ukraine and made his first million selling scrap copper from worn-out cables. He then bought several medium-sized aluminium smelters and bauxite mines and combined them in 1996 as Sual Holding. In 2007 he merged Sual with Oleg Deripaska's Russian Aluminium to form UC Rusal.[1] He was a partner of Mikhail Fridman and Len Blavatnik in the oil company TNK-BP, and sold his stake to the state-owned Rosneft in 2013 for US$7 billion.[1]
US sanctions
On 6 April 2018 the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Vekselberg for operating in the energy sector of the Russian economy, and designated the Renova Group as owned or controlled by him.[2] The release also said that in 2016 Russian prosecutors had raided Renova's offices and arrested two of his associates, among them the company's chief managing director, for bribing officials linked to a power-generation project in Russia.[2] Forbes says Rusal was also sanctioned in April 2018, and that about US$1.5 billion of his money in US and Swiss banks was frozen.[1] According to Forbes, the Swiss industrial company Sulzer, his biggest investment, bought back shares from him in 2018 to bring his holding below 50% and so keep itself out of the sanctions.[1] RFE/RL reported that further US sanctions were added on 12 March 2022.[4]
Tango seizure
On 4 April 2022 Spanish police, working with US federal agents, impounded the yacht Tango in Palma de Mallorca. The Justice Department valued it at US$90 million and said it was subject to forfeiture for alleged violations of US bank-fraud, money-laundering and sanctions laws.[3][4] The US investigation alleged that Vekselberg had bought the yacht in 2011 and used shell companies to hide his interest in it, so that banks would not scrutinise the US-dollar payments linked to it. The payments included a December 2020 stay at a luxury resort in the Maldives and mooring fees.[4] Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui authorised the seizure, the first made by the new KleptoCapture task force set up to enforce sanctions after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.[3]
Michael Cohen payment
Forbes says Vekselberg was in the news in May 2018 after it emerged that a US firm in which he invests had wired US$500,000 to a limited liability company owned by Michael Cohen, then Donald Trump's personal lawyer.[1]
Art
Forbes says Vekselberg owns a large art collection, including nine Fabergé eggs that he bought from the Forbes family for a reported US$100 million.[1]
Wealth history
Forbes has included this entry in its annual World's Billionaires list in 24 of the editions from 2001 to 2026 checked for this profile, starting with 2003. The table gives the rank and estimated net worth in each annual list.[6][1]
| Year | World's Billionaires rank | Net worth (US$ bn) |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 147 | 2.5 |
| 2004 | 143 | 3.3 |
| 2005 | 94 | 5.0 |
| 2006 | 44 | 10.0 |
| 2007 | 61 | 10.4 |
| 2008 | 67 | 11.2 |
| 2009 | 397 | 1.8 |
| 2010 | 113 | 6.4 |
| 2011 | 57 | 13.0 |
| 2012 | 64 | 12.4 |
| 2013 | 52 | 15.1 |
| 2014 | 51 | 17.2 |
| 2015 | 73 | 14.2 |
| 2016 | 98 | 10.5 |
| 2017 | 100 | 12.4 |
| 2018 | 99 | 14.4 |
| 2019 | 119 | 11.5 |
| 2020 | 127 | 10.5 |
| 2021 | 262 | 9.0 |
| 2022 | 480 | 5.5 |
| 2023 | 352 | 6.8 |
| 2024 | 391 | 7.0 |
| 2025 | 311 | 9.2 |
| 2026 | 323 | 10.2 |
International and political links
This section uses the same ten headings for every profile in this series. Only specific, sourced actions are included; company-level and foundation-level actions are labelled as such. Where nothing was found, the entry reads "No documented involvement found in sources checked."
Israel (investments, operations, donations, contracts, statements)
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Zionist or pro-Israel organisations and lobbying groups
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Jewish communal charities
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Gulf states
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
China
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Russia
Vekselberg is a Russian citizen based in Moscow. His Renova Group operates in the Russian economy, and both are under US sanctions.[1][2]
India
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Palestinian or Arab causes
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Home government
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Other international links
His yacht was seized in Spain at the request of the United States in 2022, and Sulzer, his biggest investment according to Forbes, is a Swiss company.[4][1]
See also
Notes
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Forbes, Forbes profile record for Viktor Vekselberg (Forbes data feed behind forbes.com/profile/viktor-vekselberg/) Forbes, live record, read 11 November 2026, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 US Department of the Treasury, Treasury Designates Russian Oligarchs, Officials, and Entities in Response to Worldwide Malign Activity US Department of the Treasury, 6 April 2018, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Whitney Wild and Devan Cole, Russian oligarch’s luxury yacht seized in Spain at US’ request CNN, 4 April 2022, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 RFE/RL, U.S. Says Spain Acted On Its Behalf Of In Seizing Russian Oligarch's Yacht Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 4 April 2022, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ Forbes, Forbes Real-Time Billionaires data feed Forbes, live; downloaded 11 November 2026 16:19 UTC, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Forbes, Forbes World's Billionaires list data feed, annual editions 2001–2026 (one file per year at this path with the year substituted; all 26 files downloaded and read) Forbes, annual lists; downloaded 20 October 2026, accessed 11 November 2026.