Russian billionaire and Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich has taken Israeli citizenship, the Kremlin announced on Tuesday. Abramovich finds himself without a visa to Britain after facing long delays in renewing his visa which had expired, took Israeli citizenship on Monday. He will now move to Tel Aviv where he has bought a property, according to a report by Israeli news website Ynet. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said “it is his right.”
Israel’s Interior ministry confirmed the news of the Russian billionaire taking Israeli citizenship. “Roman Abramovich arrived at the Israeli embassy in Moscow like any other person,” an Israeli government spokesperson told Channel 10. “He filed a request to receive an immigration permit, his documents were checked according to the law of return, and he was indeed found eligible.”
Who is Roman Abramovich?
One of Russia’s richest people, Abramovich bought Chelsea FC in 2003. According to a report by BBC, he sold dolls before making his fortune in oil in the 1990s after the collapse of the former Soviet Union. He also served as governor of Russia’s Chukotka region and is believed to be a close aide to the current Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Father of seven children (5 with Malandina and 2 with Zhukova), Abramovich’s net worth is $11.8 billion. He is the 11th richest person in Russia and now the richest person in Israel.
The 51-year-old is the owner of Millhouse Capital, Evraz and is a major shareholder of Norilsk Nickel. The billionaire owns the Varsano boutique hotel in Neve Tzedek neighbourhood, which he bought for NIS 100 million in 2015. Abramovich has also invested in more than a dozen Israeli startups including rapid-battery charger technology developer Storedot.