As Putin's son- in-law became the youngest billionaire in Russia

The Russian businessman Kirill Shamalov, who just turned 34, is one of the youngest billionaires in the world. In an interval of three years, he has amassed a fortune estimated at $ 1.3 billion, ensuring a place in the list of billionaires of FORBES. The main factor for this rapid growth is its connection with many Russian oligarchs - and in particular with President Vladimir Putin.

Shamalov, born in St. Petersburg, is the youngest son Nikolai Shamalov, longtime friend of Putin. Some say the two met in the 1980s through the KGB, the Soviet security agency. Others, however, claim that they met in the next decade, when Shamalov doled German Siemens of medical equipment in the country.

In 1996, Shamalov father, Putin and six acquaintances founded the "Ozero", a holiday cooperative near St. Petersburg. All members ended up occupying any position in the Russian government or state enterprises. In 2004, Nikolai became a shareholder of the bank Rossiya, a large Russian establishment which Putin was a client.

Kirill Shamalov began to take advantage of their family connections in 2002, while studying law at the University of St. Petersburg. At 20, he was appointed chief adviser of the legal activities abroad in Gazprom, a state-owned giant natural gas in Russia. A year after graduating in 2004, he became the chief adviser of the entire legal department of Gazprombank, one of the largest banks in the country. Shamalov worked later in a regional department of Rosoboronexport, an import agency and export of defense equipment, guarded closely by Putin. He was also a consultant at the Ministry of Finance in the areas of state ownership, privatization and state reforms.

In June 2008, then 26, Shamalov became the administrative vice president of Sibur petrochemical company, a position that made him rich. Between 2011 and 2013, Shamalov acquired 4.3% stake in Sibur through an investment program for managers.

The doors to wealth is fully opened in February 2013, when he married the daughter of Putin, academic Katerina Tikhonova, in a secret ceremony. The news agency "Reuters" reported in December 2015 that the wedding took place at a ski resort called "Igor", not far from the cooperative "Ozera". The couple arrived in a chariot drawn by three white horses. The 100 guests were asked to turn off their mobile devices throughout the celebration, according to some reports. The apparently also had festivities skating on ice and a laser show with the couple's names.


A year after the wedding, Shamalov bought 17% of Sibur another friend of Putin, Gennady Timchenko, after taking a loan from Gazprombank. A person close told FORBES Russia that share valued the company at $ 10 billion, information confirmed by Shamalov in the Russian press.

Because of their close ties to Putin, father Timchenko and Shamalov were subjected to Western sanctions after Russia annexed Crimea into its territory. According to Kirill Shamalov, petrochemical sales had no relation to the sanctions.

After the purchase, Shamalov became the second largest shareholder of Sibur, with 21% of the company's shares. In December 2015, the Chinese state Sinpec bought 10% of Sibur's shares for $ 1.3 billion. Shamalov would have sold less than 1% of its shares in the business.

The Sibur's shares are most of the entrepreneur's fortune, which Forbes estimated to be over $ 1.3 billion. The representative of Shamalov declined to confirm the number.

The businessman also owns 5% of the Russian Cement Company, in which he invests since March 2014. The only company resource is a percentage of 50.5% of the shares of Angarsk Cement, valued at less than $ 2 millions.

In March 2014, Shamalov helped Denis Nikienko to establish a firm invested called DPT Invest, together with a colleague of Sibur, Sergey Kotlyarenko, a lawyer who took care of the Prime Minister's resources, Igor Shuvalov. In October 2014, the company bought 50% of Eighty Service, a consulting group whose clients are numerous members of the government and state enterprises.

In March 2015, Shamalov announced that it would leave its position in the administration of Sibur to focus on other business, but would continue to be the board. He also founded the Ladoga Management, whose plans are to invest in the IT industry, engineering and polymer process.