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Russia's Richest Dynasties See $2 Bln Windfall in 2017 Forbes List

RussNeft Chairman of the Board of Directors Mikhail Gutseriev Sergei Savostyanov / TASS

The 10 richest families in Russia each earned more than $2 billion in the past year to amass a collective fortune of $27 billion, Forbes Russia said in its latest ranking published Wednesday, with Russia’s top three clans retaining their spots from last year.

Oligarch Mikhail Gutseriev’s family topped the list with $9.91 billion shared between five family members, including new business partners, Said Gutseriev and Bilan Uzhakhov, who are his son and nephew.

Gutseriev’s Safmar Group has in recent months purchased household goods store Eldorado and a majority stake in consumer electronics retailer M.video, with plans to merge the two chains.

Arkady and Igor Rotenberg took the second spot in the Forbes ranking, boasting a $4.2 billion fortune that they share with their sons Igor and Roman.

Last year, the publication estimated the Rotenberg brothers earned $2.8 billion. Forbes attributes their success despite U.S. and EU sanctions to government contracts, including for the construction of the Kerch Bridge to Crimea.

Brothers Alexei and Dmitry Ananyev round out Forbes’s top-3 with $2.7 billion equally divided between the bankers.

The two sons of former Tatarstan leader Mintimer Shaimiyev and his grandson are the 4th richest family in Russia with a combined fortune of $2.215 billion.

They are closely followed in 5th place by Dagestan’s Magomedov brothers, who expanded into the oil industry after beginning their careers in the banking sector, with a collective $1.75 billion. 

With $1.6 billion, banker and Hungary’s richest person Megdet Rahimkulov, is next on the list alongside his two sons. Oil and precious metals magnates Musa and Mavlit Bazhayev, together with Musa’s nephew, share Forbes’s 7th spot at $1.45 billion.

Co-owners of the RESO-Garantia insurance company, brothers Sergei and Nikolai Sarkisov follow with $1.4 billion.

The alleged husband of President Vladimir Putin’s youngest daughter Kirill Shamalov and his father are second-to-last with $1.32 billion, while Koks iron exporter Boris Zubitsky’s two sons and their mother round out the list with $950 million.

Last year, Russia’s 10 wealthiest families earned a total of $26.3 billion, less than 5 percent of the $530 billion combined wealth of the United States of America’s 10 richest clans.

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