Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich owns the second-largest yacht in the world and a customized airplane with a 30-person banquet hall - see how else he spends his fortune of at least $11 billion
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Oct 18, 2018, 01:05 IST
Roman Abramovich is a Russian billionaire with an estimated net worth between $11.6 billion and $14.1 billion.
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Once the richest man in Russia, Abramovich's net worth peaked in 2008 at $23.5 billion.
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The 51-year-old billionaire became a high-profile figure in Britain after he acquired Chelsea Football Club in 2003.
Abramovich bought the soccer team 15 years ago from long-time chairman Ken Bates for $233 million.
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Abramovich is "a keen follower of sport and international football," a statement said at the time.
Indeed, he is seen cheering on the team at many of their matches.
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Chelsea is one of the most valuable soccer teams in the world, with an average annual value of $135 million.
In September 2018, it was reported that Abramovich was considering a $3.9 billion sale of the team.
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Most of Abramovich's vast fortune comes from proceeds from selling Russian state-owned assets after the fall of the Soviet Union, according to Bloomberg.
In 2003, he sold a 26% stake of Russian airline company Aeroflot to the National Reserve Bank, and then sold his aluminum assets for more than $2 billion.
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Today, Abramovich owns the largest share of Evraz, Russia's second-biggest steelmaker.
He also owns stakes in the world's largest refined nickel producer, Norilsk Nickel.
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Abramovich has been married three times and has seven children.
In 2017, Abramovich announced his separation from his wife of 10 years, Dasha Zhukova, with whom he shares two children.
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The couple co-founded both the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow and the New Holland Island cultural center in Saint Petersburg.
Their divorce could be one of the most expensive splits in history, thanks to their joint businesses in Russia, an extensive art collection, a mega-mansion on the Upper East Side, and other shared assets.
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Abramovich and Zhukova share a son, Aaron, and a daughter, Leah.
Abramovich was previously married to Irina Malandina for 16 years.
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They share five daughters: Sofia, Anna, Ilya, and Arina, and one son, Arkadiy.
When the two were married in 1991, Abramovich hadn't yet amassed the majority of his wealth, but at the time of their 2007 split, he was worth $18.7 billion.
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Although Russian courts usually award a wife half of the wealth built up during a marriage, Malandina settled for $300 million, or 1.6% of Abramovich's fortune.
Abramovich's first marriage to Olga Yurevna Lysova lasted three years, from 1987 to 1990.
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From 2003 to 2008, Abramovich was the governor of Chukotka, a remote Arctic province, during which time he spent $1.3 billion of his own money on the region.
Abramovich has homes all over the world, including a $118.4 million home in Kensington Palace Gardens in London, an area nicknamed "Billionaires' Row."
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However, it was reported in May 2018 that the UK soccer team owner was granted Israeli citizenship and would be moving to Tel Aviv after facing unusually long delays in renewing his UK visa.
In recent years, Abramovich paid $96 million for four townhouses on New York City's Upper East Side with plans to turn them into one megamansion. He also bought another property two blocks away.
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But in September 2018 it was reported that he sold four of the five properties, all in a row on East 75th Street, to his ex-wife, Zhukova, for $91.4 million.
Zhukova is the founder and editorial director of Garage Magazine, now owned by Vice Media in Brooklyn.
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Abramovich owns a lavish home in Antibes on the French Riviera.
Abramovich bought the Chateau de la Croe, a mansion that overlooks the Mediterranean Sea, in 2001.
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The chateau was once a summer retreat for the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
Abramovich reportedly spent nearly $40 million renovating it.
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A French court found in September 2018 that Abramovich had undervalued the holiday home and had not paid enough wealth tax in 2006 and 2007.
Abramovich added a $90 million estate on the Caribbean island of St. Bart's to his collection in 2009. The 70-acre estate reportedly includes Balinese bungalows with ocean views, tennis courts, swimming pools, and music pavilions.
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Homes aren't the only things Abramovich likes to collect. The billionaire has reportedly spent hundreds of millions of dollars on yachts on his lifetime.
Abramovich bought the superyacht Pelorus, in 2004, when it was the 11th largest yacht in the world.
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Abramovich's ex-wife, Irina, got the yacht in the divorce and later sold it to American business magnate and film producer David Geffen for $300 million. The yacht was most recently bought by Chinese billionaire Samuel Tak Lee.
Abramovich later spent nearly $500 million on a superyacht called Eclipse.
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At 533 feet long, Eclipse was the world's largest until it was overtaken by the Azzam in 2013.
Eclipse is said to have two helicopter pads, cabins to host 24 guests, two swimming pools, a disco hall, and a missile detection system.
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It reportedly requires 70 members of staff to operate it and cater to guests.
Abramovich has reportedly owned at least three other yachts in his lifetime, including Le Grand Bleu.
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His car collection is nothing to scoff at either. Abramovich reportedly owns more than $11 million of luxury vehicles, including this limited edition Ferrari FXX, which can reach speeds of more than 190 MPH. Only 29 were made.
Abramovich also bought a Pagani Zonda Roadster, one of only 15 ever to be made.
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His other cars reportedly include a Bugatti Veyron, a Mercedes AMG GT3, and an Aston Martin Vulcan.
Abramovich has a number of airplanes in his personal fleet, including a Boeing 767-33AER.
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The customized interior of the aircraft includes a banquet hall that seats 30 people, a kitchen, an office, and a bedroom.
Abramovich previously owned a Dassault Falcon 900, which was given to his ex-wife Irina in the divorce settlement.
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Abramovich's personal art collection comprises works by Pablo Picasso, Lucian Freud, and Francis Bacon, including a piece entitled "Benefits Supervisor Sleeping" by Freud, which the billionaire bought for $34 million in 2008.
The very next night at Sotheby's, Abramovich paid $86.3 million for Francis Bacon's "Triptych, 1976."