who is Roman Abramovich, the Russian billionaire who has the ear of Putin and Zelensky?

A dark suit, elegant glasses and a gray beard. Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich seemed at ease on Tuesday, March 29, in the luxurious Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul (Turkey), located on the banks of the Bosphorus. The day before, the wall street journal (in English) and other media had revealed that the oligarch had been poisoned in early March, along with two Ukrainian negotiators, as part of negotiations to end the war. The president of the English club Chelsea would have suffered from several symptoms to the point of being hospitalized in Turkey, before recovering his means. What really happened? Mystery.

These images of Roman Abramovich, on the other hand, put an end to questions about the presence of the oligarch during these talks, even if several media had already lifted the veil in recent weeks. Last Friday, one of the Ukrainian negotiators, David Arakhamian, explained to the FinancialTimes that he had met him in Gomel, Belarus, during the first round of talks. “He is the only great Russian fortune to have embarked on such an adventure”explains researcher Lukas Aubin, author of Sportokratura under Vladimir Putin (ed. Bréal).

This close friend of Vladimir Putin has several advantages in his mission as a shadow adviser. “He is a man who has many identities: he has a Russian, Israeli and even Portuguese passport which gave him access to the Schengen area”summarizes Lukas Aubin. “He is of Ukrainian Jewish descent through his mother… We know that he can talk to Vladimir Putin but also to Volodymyr Zelensky, of Jewish faith.” A sign of the special place occupied by the oligarch, the Russian president had cited his name, and no other, when referring to Russian businessmen offering help to rebuild Ukraine after the war.

Because of his many hats, “He is a man who can become very valuable in a situation of war”, continues Lukas Aubin. On February 24, when the Russian army invaded Ukraine, Roman Abramovich had certainly missed a round table between Vladimir Putin, the captains of industry and the oligarchs, but he had then offered his services as mediator to the Kremlin. Its real influence, however, remains difficult to establish. “He participated in the initial stage of the negotiations”Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said recently, quoted by Reuters (in English).

Officially, the Russian delegation is led by adviser Vladimir Medinksy, an enthusiastic propagandist of Russian history. Unofficial negotiator, Roman Abramovich nevertheless appears to be one of the rare personalities – if not the only one – to be able to address the two Heads of State. While Vladimir Putin’s circle seems restricted to the essentials, few oligarchs are really close to the Russian president. “The Rotenberg brothers are childhood friends of the Russian president, and may still have an influence on himexplains Lukas Aubin. But I’m not sure their views really differ from those of Vladimir Putin.”

What is the nature of the personal ties between Roman Abramovich and the Russian autocrat today?

“From the 2010s, we saw him move away somewhat from the Russian president, with less and less complicity displayed in the media.”

Lukas Aubin, specialist in the geopolitics of Russia and sport

at franceinfo

Does the oligarch have an attentive ear in the Kremlin or does he act as a simple messenger? On March 23, in any case, he would have met Vladimir Putin to give him a handwritten note from Volodymyr Zelensky, reveals the Times (in English). On reading the Ukrainian demands, the Russian president would have dropped a scathing response to the attention of his counterpart in kyiv: “Tell him I’m going to crush him.”

At the start of the war, summarizes Lukas Aubin, Roman Abramovich “played both ways at first by giving pledges to both the West and Vladimir Putin – presumably to avoid sanctions”. Which did not quite work, since it is now the subject of measures from the European Union, Canada and the United Kingdom (in English). London accuses him, for example, of having obtained tax breaks and won contracts because of his direct relations with Vladimir Putin and of holding a stake in the steel company Evraz PLC, suspected of supplying steel to the Russian army.

Roman Abramovich was already extremely wealthy when he became governor of Chukotka (from 2000 to 2008), an inhospitable region located in the east of the country, opposite Alaska. During the period of privatizations that followed the fall of the USSR in 1991, and in the bosom of the influential businessman Boris Berezovsky, he had notably acquired significant holdings in the oil company Sibneft, the company Aeroflot and the group Rusal aluminum. Since then, he has always shown the greatest discretion in his relations with the Kremlin. “He knows how to protect his environment and his reputation, he is someone mysterious”explains Lukas Aubin.

“His communications advisers helped him build this strategy that allows him to do business in Europe despite his supposed ties to Vladimir Putin.”

Lukas Aubin, specialist in the geopolitics of Russia and sport

at franceinfo

And the Abramovich clan watches over the grain, in order to spare its interests here and there. The billionaire had thus not hesitated to sue the British journalist Catherine Belton, after the publication of his investigation Putin’s Men. “He knows how to play on both counts, even if it means being a little torn”, continues the researcher. In return, the billionaire never says anything against Russian power.

Since the beginning of the war, the oligarch has suffered several disappointments, with a freeze on his assets and a travel ban. Roman Abramovich had to put the Chelsea club, which he had owned for almost 20 years, up for sale – “one of the adventures of his life”, says Lukas Aubin. The billionaire still has room, since his wealth is now estimated at 9.4 billion pounds sterling (about 10.7 billion euros) by the British government. In order to avoid the immobilization of its two huge yachts – Eclipse and Solaris – he also took care to have them moored in Turkey. As for his Boeing 787, it would be in Dubai.

The billionaire, on the other hand, is still not on the US sanctions list. And if Washington showed indulgence, reveals the wall street journal (in English), it is at the request of the Ukrainian president himself, due to his involvement in the negotiations. Contacted by the American daily, a spokesperson for the oligarch refused to specify his role and simply declared: “He did everything possible to support peace efforts after receiving several solicitations, including from Jewish organizations in Ukraine.”

In early March, Roman Abramovich also met former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder in Moscow, according to Picture (in German), before the latter met Vladimir Putin himself. Who knows ? “History may record that he played a specific role in those talks.concludes Lukas Aubin. And that he didn’t compromise by declaring that Putin was right in his attempt to destroy Ukraine.”