Inside Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich’s relationship with Vladimir Putin that saw him ‘interview’ tyrant’s henchmen
IT is an unwritten rule of football: You have not really made it until the fans write a song about you.
So when Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich’s billions helped pack the club’s trophy cabinet with silverware, the Stamford Bridge faithful duly delivered.
But like many football chants, it was not all gushing praise.
To the Only Fools And Horses theme tune, the supporters belted out: “If you want the best, then don’t ask questions, ’cos Roman, he’s our man.
“Where it all comes from is a mystery. Is it guns? Is it drugs? Is it oil from the sea?”
Normally, anyone asking questions about the Russian businessman could end up in the libel courts.
And there has never been any suggestion that teetotal Abramovich, 55 — who has been married and divorced three times and has seven children — has any links to guns or drugs.
But now the question of how an orphan from a small Russian town went from driving a Lada and selling dolls on a freezing market to being one of the richest men on the planet is causing him a headache.
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In the past week there have been repeated demands to sanction Abramovich — whose London property portfolio includes a £170million 15-bedroom mansion in Kensington — due to alleged ties with Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin.
With the possibility of his assets being seized, he is now trying to sell reigning European champions Chelsea for £3billion.
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He has always had a strong rapport with his players there.
And yesterday former captain John Terry tweeted a picture of the pair with the caption: “Thank you Roman. The Best Owner in the WORLD.”
Abramovich has pledged to donate any proceeds from the sale “for the benefit of all victims of the war in Ukraine”.
The Russian-Israeli businessman has previously made generous donations to Jewish charities around the world, handing out more than £400million by 2019, including to the Holocaust Museum in Israel.
But he has been criticised for refusing to condemn Russia’s relentless assault on Ukraine, or even call it an invasion.
Is he fearful of upsetting Putin?
The oligarch has always denied being connected to the Russian despot, despite evidence of their paths crossing many times.
He has employed top lawyers to muzzle any investigative journalists delving too deeply into his affairs.
At the end of December, Abramovich successfully used the libel courts to get an author to retract a claim that he had bought Chelsea under instructions from the Kremlin.
Yet in Parliament last week, where politicians can speak openly, Labour MP Chris Bryant shared a leaked document which stated that in 2019 the Government had identified links between Abramovich and the Russian state.
The secret Home Office report also connected him with “corrupt activity and practices”.
You are talking about more sanctions, Prime Minister, but Roman Abramovich is not sanctioned, he’s in London, his children are not in the bombardments, his children are there in London.
Daria Kaleniuk
So what are his connections to Vladimir Putin?
Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich’s life is a remarkable rags to riches story.
His mother Irina died aged 28 the day before his first birthday after a backstreet abortion went wrong.
Eighteen months later his father Arkady was crushed to death by a crane when aged just 32.
Brought up by his uncle Leib and aunt Lyudmila, he was called up to the Red Army aged 18.
He did not see action before leaving and becoming a wheeler dealer in Moscow.
Four years after setting up a doll-making company in 1988 with first wife Olga he began trading oil just as the Soviet Union was collapsing.
Soon he found himself doing business with people who would later be Putin’s key backers.
They included Boris Berezovsky and also Arkady “Badri” Patarkatsishvili, who both went on to fall out with the Russian president and die in questionable circumstances.
Lawyers have admitted in court documents that Berezovsky “agreed he would use his personal and political influence” to help Abramovich achieve “the necessary legislative steps” to create the oil and gas giant Sibneft, which was later sold to the state-owned Gazprom.
Abramovich bagged an estimated £1.8billion for his share.
By summer 1999 he was assisting Putin, who had risen from little-known ex-KGB man to Russia’s prime minster under president Boris Yeltsin.
According to one eyewitness, Abramovich was there in the background “interviewing” potential candidates for Putin’s first cabinet.
I can confirm that Roman Abramovich was contacted by the Ukrainian side for support in achieving a peaceful resolution, and that he has been trying to help ever since.
Abramovich's spokesman
Alexei Venediktov, from Moscow’s Radio Ekho, recalled: “I talked to some of the candidates I knew and I asked them what they were doing there.
"And they said, ‘We’re having an interview’. I then asked them who they were having an interview with and they said that, apart from other people, they were having an interview with Roman Abramovich.”
Abramovich would later dismiss the interviews as “friendly conversations”.
By the end of that year a sickly Yeltsin had quit as president and been replaced by Putin, who founded political party Unity.
According to biographer Dominic Midgley, Abramovich was the “paymaster and organisational genius” behind this new party.
His reward, it seems, was to be elected governor of the Chukotka region in 2000.
Both Patarkatsishvili and Berezovsky also backed Putin to become president in December 1999.
While those men publicly turned against the Russian leader in later years, Abramovich has never been a critic of the man whose troops have committed war crimes in Georgia, Syria, Chechnya and now Ukraine.
Berezovsky escaped to Britain in 2000 and was accused of embezzlement in Russia.
He launched a failed lawsuit against Abramovich, claiming he had used “blackmail” to obtain his share in Sibneft.
The judge sided with the Chelsea owner, finding that Berezovsky was an unreliable witness.
Berezovsky was found hanged at his Berkshire mansion in 2013.
[Abramovich is] One of the key enablers and beneficiaries of Russian kleptocracy, with significant ties and assets in the West.
Vladimir Ashurkov
Prior to that he had reportedly asked Abramovich to pass a letter of apology to Putin and begged him to allow him to return from exile.
Midgley believes that after seeing what happened to anyone who crossed Putin, Abramovich has decided to stay in the president’s good books.
Abramovich’s other business connections include setting up a metal company with oligarch Oleg Deripaska, who was described by US magazine Newsweek as, “Putin’s favourite industrialist”.
He also aided Putin in Russia’s successful bid to host the 2018 World Cup.
By this time, pressure had already started to grow on oligarchs in the UK following the Kremlin’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014.
There were suggestions that Abramovich’s application to renew his visa was being questioned by government officials in the year the tournament was held.
Abramovich withdrew his application and now spends most of his time in Israel.
After Russia invaded Ukraine last week, it was announced that Abramovich had been asked to take part in peace talks in neighbouring Belarus.
His spokesman said: “I can confirm that Roman Abramovich was contacted by the Ukrainian side for support in achieving a peaceful resolution, and that he has been trying to help ever since.”
While that might sound unlikely, Abramovich does have a reputation for being a “nice guy”.
The relaxed, jeans-wearing business-man with permanent stubble is known to be loyal to his staff, even offering mental health support to ex-Chelsea players during lockdown.
And unlike some football club owners, he was a regular on the terraces.
I think he is terrified of being sanctioned, which is why he’s already going to sell his home tomorrow, and sell another flat as well. My anxiety is that we’re taking too long.
Chris Bryant, Labour MP
It is his alleged friendliness with the ruthless President Putin that is his problem.
Ukrainian human rights campaigner Daria Kaleniuk berated Boris Johnson for not taking action against the Chelsea billionaire.
She told him at a press conference in Poland: “You are talking about more sanctions, Prime Minister, but Roman Abramovich is not sanctioned, he’s in London, his children are not in the bombardments, his children are there in London.”
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny also wants Abramovich sanctioned.
His ally Vladimir Ashurkov called Abramovich, “One of the key enablers and beneficiaries of Russian kleptocracy, with significant ties and assets in the West”.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer described Abram- ovich as, “A person of interest to the Home Office because of his links to the Russian state”.
This was followed by a statement on Wednesday night that Abramovich was selling Chelsea, who have won five Premier League titles, five FA Cups, three League Cups and five European trophies since he took over.
The Russian said: “In the current situation I have taken the decision to sell the club, as I believe this is in the best interest of the club, the fans, the employees, as well as the club’s sponsors and partners.”
There are now fears Abramovich might dispose of his assets or move them out of the UK before they can be seized.
These include a £430million Solaris super-yacht — complete with its own dance floor.
His Boeing 787 Dreamliner was reportedly flown to Moscow last weekend and he has put his mansion in Kensington, West London, up for sale
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Labour MP Chris Bryant told the Commons on Tuesday: “I think he is terrified of being sanctioned, which is why he’s already going to sell his home.
"My anxiety is that we’re taking too long.”
Love for Chelski - by Mike Sullivan, Crime Editor and Chelsea fan
I WILL never forget the afternoon in 2003 when The Sun’s former chief reporter John Kay came bouncing back to the office from a liquid lunch with news that Roman Abramovich was buying Chelsea Football Club.
“Who?” we asked, in ignorance of Russian current affairs.
“He’s a rich Russian,” said Johnners, not entirely sure himself.
A reporter, James Clench, then piped up “Chelski” – a term splashed on The Sun’s front page the next day and which heralded a new era of huge success for the club and changed the face of English football.
We should have patented the name “Chelski”, as John was later told that the club would have been willing to pay £1million for the trademark.
My own reward was watching the Blues become champions of England, again and again, then Europe, twice, as the unknown Russian quickly became a household name.
Roman could be brutal.
Popular manager Claudio “The Tinkerman” Ranieri was dismissed to make way for Jose “The Special One” Mourinho.
That move ended a 50-year wait for the title of English champions.
A further 20 trophies have come our way since then, under 15 managers.
Yes, we might have bought all that success with Russian roubles.
But Abramovich was not your typical Premier League club owner who saw his team purely in financial terms.
There was no mistaking his love for Chelsea.
It was written on his face when we scored, and his relationship with the players and fans was unique.
But Roman’s empire was built on shifting sands.
It is sickening that he is aligned to a regime now waging a barbaric war on innocent civilians, and even the most ardent Chelsea fan would admit he could no longer retain ownership of the club.
But I do not think for one moment Abramovich believes in the war.
Roman, we will miss you at Stamford Bridge and always be grateful for what you did for the club.
And rest assured, we’ll keep the blue flag flying high.
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