Vladimir Potanin

Template:Short description Template:About Template:Distinguish Template:Family name hatnote Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox officeholder Vladimir Olegovich Potanin (Template:Langx; born 3 January 1961) is a Russian businessman, billionaire and statesman. He is the founder and president of Interros, which holds stakes in MMC Norilsk Nickel, Rosa Khutor, Rosbank, Yandex and TCS Group Holding. President of Norilsk Nickel,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the State Hermitage Museum,<ref name=":15" /> founder of the Vladimir Potanin Charitable Foundation.

Forbes twice ranked him as the richest person in Russia — in 2015 and 2020.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

As of 7 May 2025, Forbes ranked Potanin the 81st most wealthy person in the world, with a net worth of $24.2 billion.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have imposed sanctions on Potanin.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Early life and education

Potanin was born in Moscow, in the former USSR,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> into the family of a USSR trade representative in New Zealand.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

He resided with his parents in Turkey for several years, receiving his primary education there.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He continued his studies at Moscow School No. 58, graduating with a gold medal.<ref name=":16" /><ref name=":14" /> In 1978, he attended the faculty of the International economic relations at Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), which is run by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Upon graduating MGIMO in 1983, he followed in his father's footsteps and went to work for the all-union foreign trade organization (FTO) Soyuzpromexportfortvort, which was an arm of the Ministry of Foreign Trade.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He served as senior engineer at the All-Union Foreign Economic Association (VFEA) "Soyuzpromexport".<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref>

Career

Beginnings (1990–1998)

During perestroika, Potanin quit the State's structures of Foreign trade and in 1990 created the private association Interros, which was engaged in foreign economic consulting, using his knowledge gathered at Ministry of Foreign trade and his previous professional network.

From 1992 to 1993, Potanin served as vice president and subsequently president of the International Financial Company (MFK) bank, which he co-founded with Mikhail Prokhorov.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1993, Potanin became president of the newly formed United Export Import Bank (ONEKSIMbank) (Template:Langx) (akas: Uneximbank; Onexim Bank; Oneksimbank).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1995, Potanin was instrumental in the creation of the "loans for shares" auctions that became a pillar of Russia's post-Soviet economic reform.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref> The auctions allowed the selling-off of Russian firms' assets at below market prices and are regarded as the founding moment of Russia's oligarchy.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> According to the New York Times, the auctions plan was regarded in 1999 "almost universally as an act of colossal criminality."<ref name=":0" />

At the same time, the work of Professor Daniel Treisman, published by the U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), presents the following conclusion based on a retrospective analysis of Western publications and economic data: compared to state-owned companies sold to incumbent managers, the firms sold to oligarchs performed significantly better, contributing to Russia’s rapid economic growth after 1999. Thus, the loans-for-shares program helped accelerate Russia’s recovery.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

From 14 August 1996 until 17 March 1997, he worked as First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation.Template:Fact

During his tenure in the Russian government, he chaired approximately 20 federal, governmental, and interagency commissions, including the Government Commission on Financial and Monetary Policy, the Operational Commission under the Government of the Russian Federation for Improving the Payment and Settlement System, and the Interagency Commission of the Russian Federation for Cooperation with International Financial and Economic Organizations and the "Group of Seven".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He served as the Russian Federation's Governor at the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and at the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency.<ref name=":16">Template:Cite web</ref>

In autumn 1997, Potanin established the Prof-Media CJSC holding company to manage all media assets owned by ONEXIM Bank, including Izvestia, Komsomolskaya Pravda, Afisha, and Bolshoy Gorod.<ref name=":16" />

In 1997, Boris Jordan introduced George Soros to Potanin which led to the Soros Group supported by Potanin, Anatoly Chubais, and Alfred Koch to have the controlling stake in the Russian communications monopoly over the Berezovsky-Gusinsky group. One year later Soros admitted that his large investment in Svyazinvest was a mistake.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Unreliable source?

Since August 1998, Potanin has held the positions of both president and chairman of the board of directors of the Interros Company.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 25 November 1998, Potanin recommended Boris Jordan to be Chairman of Sidanko which Jordan held until February 1999 when he stepped down.<ref name=Panorama>Template:Cite web</ref>

Interros

Interros is a Russian private investment company. Its projects span nearly all sectors of the Russian economy.<ref name=":10" />

The key asset of Interros is Norilsk Nickel - the world's largest producer of palladium and high-grade nickel, and one of the major suppliers of platinum and copper.<ref name=":10" />

Another significant Interros project is the Rosa Khutor mountain resort in Sochi, which served as one of the main venues for the 2014 Winter Olympics. Its establishment contributed to the development of Russia's tourism industry.<ref name=":10" />

In 2022, Interros, at Vladimir Potanin's initiative, acquired a stake in Russian IT developer Reksoft.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The company's clients include OK hypermarket chain, S7 Airlines, major airports, VTB and Otkritie banks, GLONASS, Gazprom Neft, and Russian Post.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In April 2025, venture fund Voskhod, with Interros as its anchor investor, invested 1 billion rubles in New Diamond Technology (NDT), a company developing diamond wafers for the electronics industry.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In May 2025, Catalytic People — a joint venture between Interros and T-Technology — acquired a 9.95% stake in PJSC Yandex.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Norilsk Nickel

Potanin and his long-term business partner Mikhail Prokhorov acquired Norilsk Nickel (or Nornickel) in the early 1990s under the "loans for shares" scheme, owning between them 54% of the firm.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite news</ref> Potanin owned as of 2018 a 34% stake in the company.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They streamlined operations and turned Norilsk Nickel into a modern corporation.<ref name=":1" />

In 2017–2018, under Potanin's leadership as president of Norilsk Nickel, the company launched both the Bystrinsky GOK mining and processing plant and the Sulfur Project.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2022, Vladimir Potanin implemented several initiatives to enhance employee participation in the management and ownership structures of Norilsk Nickel and Rosbank.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In the spring of 2024,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> representatives of Norilsk Nickel, headed by Potanin, announced the upcoming transfer of copper production from Russia to China. This plan was motivated both by the need to circumvent Western sanctions<ref>Russia's Nornickel moves closer to biggest buyer with plan for copper plant in China. By Anastasia Lyrchikova and Alexander Marrow. 22 April 2024. Reuters.</ref> when exporting copper to foreign markets, and by China's significantly less stringent environmental standards than those in Russia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> According to Potanin's representatives, further modernization of the existing outdated production to comply with Russian environmental standards turned out to be completely unprofitable for Norilsk Nickel, and the company preferred to carry out new construction in a country with less expensive environmental requirements.

Other investments

Potanin also owned a stake in Petrovax Pharm, a pharmaceutical company during norties.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Rosa Khutor ski resort

In the early 2000s, Potanin became the first major Russian businessman to initiate the construction and development of ski slopes in the Krasnaya Polyana area.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Potanin was inspired to develop the Rosa Khutor ski resort in the Mzymta valley near Sochi after skiing with Putin in Austria in 2003.<ref name=":6">Template:Cite news</ref> He invested more than $2 billion into the resort after Sochi was picked for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in 2007.<ref name=":6" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

He allegedly urged Putin to approve expansion in the area to create a "Russian Courchevel", despite oppositional pressure from environmental groups who claimed it would further damage the region.<ref name=":7">Template:Cite news</ref>

Following Potanin's complaint about a cost overrun of at least $530 million during the construction of hotels and chalets in Sochi and the Rosa Khutor ski resort (as required by the International Olympic Committee), Potanin sought compensation from the Russian government for the extra costs incurred.<ref name=":7" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

It was later shown that construction of the Rosa Khutor resort had resulted in a vast patch of forest being cut down, although Potanin had announced that construction would require "little excavation and zero logging".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This was strongly criticized by environmental conservation groups, such as Environmental Watch on North Caucasus.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Between 2005 and 2010, Potanin invested $500,000 in starting a leopard breeding initiative in the Mzymta valley. In 2015, he asked president Putin to allow for permits to double the size of the ski resort, an expansion that will threaten the leopard program he contributed to.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Iran

In 2016, Winter Capital Partners, owned by Interros, acquired a stake in Swedish Pomegranate (firm), which held 9.6% of shares in Iranian company Sarava, which is a shareholder in a number of Iranian internet companies, such as Digikala, the country's largest online retailer.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Some media subsequently reported that Potanin became the first investor to enter Iran after sanctions were lifted.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In March 2022, Interros terminated its participation in the Swedish fund's operations.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Cryptocurrency

Potanin is a member of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP), a lobby group that sent Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev a proposal for alternative cryptocurrency regulations in October 2018.Template:Citation needed

Vneshekonombank

In May 2015, Potanin was named a co-defendant in a case in which state-owned Vnesheconombank (VEB) was looking for damages for losses from the liquidation of Roskhlebprodukt, in which he indirectly owned a stake. In total, VEB sought $68 million in damages from Potanin and others.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Rosbank

In April 2022 owing to the International sanctions during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, French banker Societe Generale had stranded Rosbank assets and was seeking a quick exit from Russia. Interros bought the distressed assets. The French banker had paid an estimated $4.3 billion to Interros over the period between 2006 and 2014 to amass nearly all the shares in the Russian bank and its subsidiaries. As a result of this transaction the French banker wrote off its balance sheet $3.3 billion.<ref name="jhfor">Template:Cite news</ref> Four months later Potanin announced his intention to transfer 50% of Rosbank's shares to his own charitable foundation. Another 7.5% of the shares were sold to a subsidiary of Rosbank – the investment company Rusfinance.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Tinkoff Bank

In April 2022 Oleg Tinkov sold his shares in TCS Group to Potanin-controlled Interros for $325 million.<ref name=":17">Template:Cite web</ref> According to Tinkov, he was offered a price of about 3% of the real value of his shares, but was forced to accept the offer as officials of the Putin administration threatened to nationalize the bank after he publicly criticized the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":17" />

In August 2024, Interros increased its stake to 41.4%, becoming the largest non-controlling shareholder of the holding company.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Public involvement

In March 2003, he took charge of the National Council on Corporate Governance (NSKU), whose main goal is to improve the legislative regulations in Russia and to introduce professional and ethical standards of corporate governance in Russian companies. The goal is to boost the reputation and investment appeal of the Russian businesses.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Public Chamber of the Russian Federation

In 2006, Vladimir Potanin was elected to the inaugural composition of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, where he chaired the Commission for the Development of Philanthropy, Charity and Volunteerism.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

From 2008 to 2010, he led efforts to improve legislation concerning non-commercial organizations (NCOs).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Commission significantly improved the legislative framework in this area. Notably, in collaboration with the Russian Ministry of Economic Development, it developed the federal law "On the Procedure for Forming and Using Endowment Capital of Non-Commercial Organizations," which has been in force since 2007.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On the commission's initiative, amendments were introduced to the Tax Code of the Russian Federation concerning various aspects of nonprofit organizations' operations and charitable activities in general.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Support of public organizations

Potanin was a member of The Russian Government's Council on Competitiveness and Entrepreneurship<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Member of the Board Bureau of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Chairman of the National Council for Corporate Governance (NSCG)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Member of the Board of Trustees of the Russian Geographical Society<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Member of the Board of Trustees of the National Charitable Foundation for Support of Russian Olympians<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Chairman of the Supervisory Board and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Russian International Olympic University (RIOU)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

He was previously a member of the Supervisory Board of the ANO "Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and served on the Presidium of the Presidential Council for the Development of Physical Culture and Sports, High Achievement Sports, and the Preparation and Hosting of the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games of 2014,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the XXVII Summer Universiade of 2013 in Kazan.

In 2019, Potanin signed the "Business Ambition for 1.5°C" pledge, committing his company to work towards achieving the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement, which aims to limit global temperature increase to 1.5-2 °C above pre-industrial levels.<ref name=":10" />

In 2024, the businessman became head of the Board of Trustees of Central University — Russia's first higher education institution based on the STEM model.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Vladimir Potanin was one of the initiators of the founding of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).<ref name=":14" />

Potanin also serves as chairman of the board of trustees of the Amateur Hockey Development Foundation "Night Hockey League".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Charity

Vladimir Potanin is engaged in philanthropy and public service. In 1999, Potanin established the non-profit charitable organization "The Potanin Foundation" to implement long-term projects in the fields of Russian education and culture.<ref name=":9">Template:Cite web</ref>

From December 2001 to 2022, he served on the Board of Trustees of the Guggenheim Foundation (New York).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

From June 2002 to 2008, he has been Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Hermitage-Guggenheim Charitable Foundation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2002, Potanin purchased Kazimir Malevich’s Black Square for $1 million and donated the painting to the State Hermitage Museum’s collection.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Since April 2003, he has been Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the State Hermitage Museum.<ref name=":15">Template:Cite web</ref>

With Potanin’s support, the following projects were realized: "Grand Hermitage", Restoration of the "Chariot of Glory" on the General Staff Building arch, "Hermitage in the Sky" project.<ref name=":10">Template:Cite web</ref>

His donations to the Hermitage’s endowment fund totaled $5 million.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> These money was used to acquire Bill Viola’s video installation Ocean Without a Shore (2018, the museum’s first video artwork), Anselm Kiefer’s Aurora (2018),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> collection of Western European art (11th–17th centuries), comprising 50 pieces (2019).<ref name=":10" />

From May 2006, he served as Deputy Chairman of the Board of Trustees of MGIMO (abolished in 2022<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>). His donations to MGIMO’s endowment fund amounted to $6.5 million.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

With the participation of Potanin, the Russian International Olympic University (RIOU)<ref name=":9" /> was founded in October 2009. Interros became a co-founder and the sole sponsor of RIOU.<ref name=":10" />

In early 2010, Potanin stated in an interview with the Financial Times that he intended to allocate the majority of his capital to public benefit.<ref name=":9" />

In June 2010, the philanthropic campaign "The Giving Pledge"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> was launched, which Potanin later joined, thereby agreeing to donate at least half of his capital to charity.<ref name=":11">Template:Cite web</ref>

Vladimir Potanin is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Moscow Church Construction Support Fund. He financed the construction of the Church in honor of the Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky at MGIMO on Lobachevsky Street.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2014, Vladimir Potanin was awarded the title of "Patron of the Year".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2016, with Vladimir Potanin's assistance, more than 250 works by Soviet and Russian contemporary artists were donated to the National Museum of Modern Art in France.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2019, Vladimir Potanin presented to the public one of the largest private collections of Olympic awards, managed by RIOU. This collection, comprising over 450 artifacts (medals, diplomas, torches, etc.), spans the period from the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 to the present day and is one of the largest in the world.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In March 2020, Vladimir Potanin donated one billion rubles to support the nonprofit sector during the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2021, Potanin was awarded the "Philanthropist of the Year" prize by Forbes. The award was given for his systematic development of Russian philanthropy, including the creation of endowment funds and transformation of the charitable sector.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Charitable foundation

In 1999, he established the non-profit organization "Vladimir Potanin Charitable Foundation" for the implementation of long-term projects in the field of domestic education and culture.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It laid the foundation for systematic philanthropy in Russia.<ref name=":9" />

In 2021, 2022, and 2023, the Potanin Charitable Foundation headed the ranking of charitable foundations, and Potanin himself personally headed the ranking of the most business philanthropists according to "Kommersant" three times (in 2020, 2021, and 2022).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Throughout its entire period of operation, the foundation established by Potanin has provided support to more than 40,000 individuals, amounting to over 12 billion rubles.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The Foundation implements a number of charitable programs: "Museum Without Borders",<ref name=":11" /> Effective Philanthropy", "Center for Philanthropy Development", "The Power of Sports", "Innovation and Development.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2000, the businessman launched one of the first scholarship programs implemented by Russian charitable organizations. The Potanin Foundation awards named scholarships, the amount of which as of 2025 is 25,000 rubles per month.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The organization also compiles its own ranking of universities, which represents an assessment of the participating higher education institutions in the foundation's scholarship program, taking into account the achievements of the grant recipients.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2016, Potanin's charitable organization, the Vladimir Potanin Foundation, donated works of art to be displayed at the Centre Pompidou's exhibition of Russian and Soviet art <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> along with another 40 donors including Vladimir Semenikhin, the Tsukanov Family Foundation and others.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> For his efforts, Potanin was awarded the French Legion of Honour later that year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2022, Potanin transferred part of his capital to the fund in the form of Rosbank shares and handed over management to the executive team.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Norilsk Nickel

In 2014, the program "World of New Opportunities" was launched to support and develop Norilsk, Taimyr, Monchegorsk, and the Pechengsky District of Murmansk Oblast.<ref name=":12">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":13">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":14" />

From 2014 to 2024, within the framework of this program, support was provided to 967 socially significant projects, totaling 1.131 billion rubles.<ref name=":12" />

In February 2024, Norilsk Nickel merged the "World of New Opportunities" program and the corporate volunteer program "Goodness Combine" into a single umbrella project "People of the Territory" to increase the efficiency of the company's social investments.<ref name=":13" /> For 2024, the budget of the social projects competition "World of New Opportunities" amounted to 155 million rubles, with 117 initiatives receiving funding.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

«Norilsk Nickel and Vladimir Potanin are among the largest benefactors of the Russian Orthodox Church, providing support to churches, monasteries, and social and charitable projects of the dioceses and metropolises of the Russian Orthodox Church.<ref name=":14" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Awards

• Full Cavalier of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland"<ref name=":14">Template:Cite web</ref>
• Order of Alexander Nevsky (24 March 2014)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Medal "In Commemoration of the 850th Anniversary of Moscow"
• Medal "In Commemoration of the 300th Anniversary of Saint Petersburg"
• Letter of Honor from the President of the Russian Federation (22 April 2010)<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref>
• Letter of Appreciation from the President of the Russian Federation (25 July 1996)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Cavalier of the Legion of Honour (France, 2017)
• Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters (France, January 2007)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Badge of Honor "For Charity and Mercy" (Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, September 2002)
• Order of Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Prince Vladimir, 3rd and 2nd degrees (Russian Orthodox Church)
• Order of Saint Sergius of Radonezh, 3rd and 2nd degrees (Russian Orthodox Church)
• Order of Saint Daniel of Moscow, 1st (2012)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and 2nd degrees (Russian Orthodox Church)
• Order of Saint Seraphim of Sarov, 1st degree<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Patriarchal Badge of Saint Great Martyr Barbara, 1st degree<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Laureate of the International Foundation for the Unity of Orthodox Peoples Award for 2003<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Order of Saint Anna, 2nd degree (Russian Imperial House, December 2009) — in recognition of merits before the Fatherland and the Russian Orthodox Church<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Golden Order of the Apostle Paul (Cyprus)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Sanctions

In January 2018, Potanin appeared on the US Treasury's "Putin list" of 210 individuals closely associated with Russian president Vladimir Putin.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

He was sanctioned by the UK government in 2022 in relation to the Russo-Ukrainian War.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="rnuk">Template:Cite news</ref>

On 6 April 2022, the Trudeau government added Potanin to its sanctions list over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.<ref name="blpcan">Template:Cite news</ref>

On 15 December 2022, the US Treasury joined others by adding Potanin to its sanction list.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Criticism

Dispute with Mikhail Prokhorov

In 2007, Potanin split with Prokhorov, citing Prokhorov's brief detention by French police over soliciting prostitution as the reason and announced the intent to acquire Prokhorov's Norilsk Nickel assets for a reported $1 billion.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Prokhorov offered to sell his 25% stake for $15 billion.<ref name=":1" /> However, Potanin refused the deal and it never came to pass.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">Template:Cite news</ref>

According to a report published by investigative platform Meduza in 2016, Prokhorov turned to Valentin Yumashev, former Russian president Boris Yeltsin's chief of staff, to appeal to president Vladimir Putin. Reportedly, Putin "phoned Potanin in Prokhorov's presence and chewed him out, saying, 'It's dishonest to cheat on partners.'"<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Prokhorov ultimately decided to sell his 25% Norilsk stake to RUSAL's Oleg Deripaska instead.<ref name=":2" />

In March 2009, he sued Prokhorov for $29 million over a property disagreement in Moscow.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Ownership dispute with Oleg Deripaska

In 2008, Deripaska reached an agreement with Prokhorov for the acquisition of his Norilsk Nickel stake, against Potanin's wishes. In return, Prokhorov acquired 14% of RUSAL.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

This sparked an ownership conflict between Deripaska and Potanin that was halted in 2012, when Roman Abramovich stepped in as a peacemaker by acquiring 6.5% of Norilsk and thereby maintaining the balance of power between Deripaska and Potanin.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The truce also barred the parties to sell or acquire new stakes. The deal made Potanin CEO of the company, as he owned roughly 30% of Norilsk, about 2% more than Deripaska.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In February 2018, Potanin offered to buy 4% of Abramovich's stake.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A provisional acquisition agreement was reached in March for Potanin to buy a 2% stake in Norilsk from Abramovich.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite news</ref> The purchase was not yet officially approved as of March 2018, pending a court ruling in May that will decide whether the acquisition would breach the 2012 stakeholder agreement.<ref name=":3" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> If the purchase is approved, Potanin would own 32.9% of Norilsk against Deripaska's 27.8%.<ref name=":3" /> In April, Deripaska called off the deal citing sanctions as the reason.Template:Clarify<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On 28 June 2018 the court ruled against the sale of Abramovich assets to Potanin. It was unknown at the time whether Deripaska would exercise a contingent right to purchase shares.<ref name="innews">Template:Cite news</ref>

In August 2023, former FBI special agent Charles McGonigal pleaded guilty in connection to a scheme to place Potanin on a U.S. sanctions list on behalf of sanctioned Russian oligarch, Oleg Deripaska.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Environmental pollution

Throughout Potanin's tenure as CEO, Norilsk Nickel has been consistently criticized for its environmental record. The company was named as one of the biggest polluters in the Russian Arctic,<ref name="The Independent Barents Observer">Template:Cite news</ref> and the city of Norilsk was named among the most polluted places on Earth.<ref name=":4">Template:Cite news</ref> According to a 2013 report, Norilsk Nickel's operations "discharge some 500 tons of copper and nickel oxides per year and release another 2 million tons of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere annually", accounting for a life expectancy of local residents 10 years below the Russian national average.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5">Template:Cite web</ref> According to reports from journalists who visited the city, Norilsk is surrounded by "1.2 million acres of dead forest",<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> or that "nature in a radius almost the size of Germany is dead from severe air pollution",<ref name=":5" /> depending on the source.

As a result, pressure has been mounting on Potanin from Putin to clean up Norilsk Nickel's operations. In 2010, Putin stated that solving ecological problems in the Norilsk area must be one of the company's leadership's main tasks.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In September 2016, the local Daldykan river ran red after a suspected break of a Norilsk Nickel slurry pipe released industrial waste into the water.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Norilsk Nickel was subsequently fined an undisclosed amount by the Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources (Rosprirodnadzor).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

During a meeting with Putin in January 2017, Potanin promised to solve environmental problems by 2023 through the modernization of capacities.<ref name="The Independent Barents Observer" /> Briefing Putin on Norilsk Nickel's development and performance, Potanin promised to invest $17 billion over a seven-year period on measures to modernize the company's facilities and reduce pollution from its operations.<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Verify source</ref> Potanin said that the company planned to reduce its emissions by 75% as part of its long-term development programme through 2023.<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Verify source</ref> In the Norilsk area, emissions were reduced by 30–35% in 2017 alone, according to company data.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In May 2020, a major oil spill occurred at a power plant owned by Norilsk Nickel, flooding rivers with up to 21,000 cubic metres of diesel oil, in what has been described as the second-largest oil spill in modern Russian history.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>

In March 2021, Norilsk Nickel paid a fine of 145.5 billion rubles for the diesel fuel spill in Norilsk.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation allocated only 22.5 billion rubles of these funds to Norilsk.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In October 2022, the restoration of fertile soil layer in the Ambarnaya River area was completed.

The company became the first in Russia to implement a permafrost monitoring system in its area of responsibility. For Norilsk's cleanup, the "Clean Norilsk" program was launched with a budget of 40 billion rubles.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

At the end of 2023, as part of the "Sulfur Project," Norilsk Nickel launched the first technological line of the sulfur dioxide disposal complex. According to Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources data for 2024, 389 thousand tons of gases were captured and processed.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Byte Grid

The FBI announced in July 2018 that ByteGrid, a data solutions provider contracted to store Maryland State Board of Elections data, was owned by a private equity firm in which Potanin is an investor.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A retroactive investigative report issued by the US Department of Homeland Security's National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center found no indication that the MDSBE corporate network had been compromised.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The contract has since been transferred to Intelishift as a precaution.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Personal life

Potanin's first marriage was to Natalia Potanina, with whom he has three children.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> They married in 1983 and divorced after 31 years of marriage.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2014, Potanin married for a second time, to Ekaterina,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> with whom he has two children.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

These three luxury motor yachts built by Oceanco were built for him:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

• The Template:Convert Barbara, built in 2016.
• The Template:Convert Nirvana, built in 2012.
• The Template:Convert Anastasia, built in 2008.

Potanin is the only Russian to have signed The Giving Pledge, with a promise to donate at least half of his wealth to charity.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref>

On 24 December 2021 he played a friendly chess match with grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi. The game ended with victory for the professional in the 38th move, though not with checkmate – Potanin conceded as a result of Nepomniachtchi’s superior position. Chess experts rate Potanin’s ability highly.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Divorce proceedings with Natalia Potanina

In 2016, Natalia Potanina filed a $15 billion lawsuit claiming profits of Norilsk Nickel as well as Interros International, in what would have been the world's largest divorce settlement.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A Moscow district court rejected her claim in July 2017, arguing that the lawsuit's limitation period had expired.<ref name="rapsinews.com">Template:Cite web</ref>

The claim was preceded by a smaller claim of $7 billion in 2015, after Potanin had offered a divorce settlement including a monthly allowance of $250,000 as well as real estate in Moscow, London and New York.<ref name=":8">Template:Cite news</ref> The claim was struck down in 2016.<ref name="rapsinews.com"/> Natalia argued that Russian law demands that wealth accumulated during a marriage is split evenly between the divorcees.<ref name=":8" />

See also

• Semibankirschina
• List of Russian billionaires

External links

• Template:Commons category-inline
• Biography
• Forbes.com – The World's Billionaires 2006 – #89 Vladimir Potanin
• Forbes.com – The World's Billionaires 2007 – #38 Vladimir Potanin