The life of Boris Berezovsky is called the biography of "the greatest political adventurer." In 2008, his fortune was approaching one and a half billion dollars, and he died in bankruptcy. The businessman spent a significant period of his life in exile, but he always remembered about Russia and dreamed of returning here.
The beginning of the way
Boris was born in a metropolitan intelligent family in 1946. His father worked as a civil engineer, his mother worked in the laboratory of the Institute of Pediatrics. The boy grew up very capable, this manifested itself from an early age. Before his peers at the age of six, he went to first grade. And in the sixth grade he transferred to an English special school. The young man dreamed of studying at the main university of the country, but the "fifth column" did not allow him to enter Moscow State University. Therefore, education had to continue at another university - the Moscow Forestry Institute.
In 1968, Boris began his working life. A certified specialist in the field of electronics for several years worked as an engineer at a research institute, was in charge of a sector and even headed a laboratory. Since 1973, he began cooperation with AvtoVAZ, where he was entrusted with leading projects for the implementation of automation at the enterprise.
In 1983, the result of his scientific work was his doctoral dissertation and membership in the Academy of Sciences. Berezovsky is the author of dozens of works and monographs.
Businessman
In 1989, Boris organized the LogoVAZ company, which sold Russian cars recalled from showrooms abroad. Soon the company began official trade in Mercedes cars on the domestic market. Then Berezovsky became a member of the board of the United Bank, and a couple of years later he became the head of the All-Russian Automobile Alliance. The organization considered the opening of a plant for the production of a "people's car" to be its main goal. Shares worth two tens of million dollars, projects in Latin America and Egypt, made it possible to complete the construction of AvtoVAZ in Togliatti by 2002.
The businessman invested a lot of money in the development of the media sphere. In 1995, he participated in the creation of ORT. At the same time, he became a member of the broadcasting corporation on TV-6. In 1999, Berezovsky acquired the Kommersant Publishing House, which publishes a daily newspaper with a focus on business. The first edition was followed by a number of newspapers and magazines, the radio station "Nashe Radio".
In 1994, as a result of an attempt on Berezovsky's life, his driver died. The question arose of opening a private security company. In addition to its direct responsibilities for monitoring the safety of a businessman and his companies, the private security company was engaged in collecting dirt on representatives of the highest echelons of power and business.
Politics and scandals
In the late 90s, Boris Abramovich began his political career and took the post of deputy chairman of the country's Security Council. His work in this position was associated with the desire of a private business representative to participate in the settlement of the Chechen conflict. In 1999, Berezovsky became a State Duma deputy and received the status of an influential oligarch in the highest circles of power.
Many colleagues considered the businessman to be not the best business partner. They called him a "frivolous and unnecessary" person. It was difficult to agree with him, he often changed his own decisions. His schedule was tough, and plans were laid out much ahead.
The activity of the oligarch as a representative of private capital was reduced to the maximum personal enrichment. He did nothing for the Russian consumer. And the businessman's contribution to the Russian treasury was minimal. His business acumen was reduced to the seizure of highly profitable or well-equipped enterprises, which under his leadership did not receive further development, but often completely collapsed. The first scandal took place in 1999, Boris was accused of embezzling Aeroflot funds. In 2002, the Prosecutor General's Office opened a case over the disappearance of more than two thousand AvtoVAZ vehicles during a transaction. The businessman was put on the international wanted list, because by this time he was living in London. The British authorities granted Berezovsky's request and granted him political asylum. Two years later, he became the owner of a refugee passport in the name of Platon Yelenin. Under this name, he repeatedly visited Russia and neighboring countries.
After the story of fraud in 2003, the Prosecutor General's Office opened several more cases against Berezovsky: the appropriation of a state dacha, the murder of Deputy Yushenkov. But the most important accusation was the case of the alleged violent seizure of power in the country, an idea he had been hatching since the early 2000s. Another appeal of the Russian law enforcement agencies to their colleagues from Great Britain about the extradition of the oligarch ended in a refusal.
The name of Boris Abramovich has appeared in several international financial and political scandals. During Ukraine's Orange Revolution, the oligarch spent tens of millions of dollars supporting President Yushchenko. Brazilian justice declared about the machinations committed by it on the territory of this country. He laundered money through the Corinthians football club. In 2009, a new theft case was opened at AvtoVAZ.
Personal life
In the life of Berezovsky, there were two official marriages. They had known their first wife Nina since their student days. The wife gave her husband daughters - Elizabeth and Catherine. With his second wife, the businessman started a family in 1991. In this marriage, two children appeared - Artem and Anastasia. After three years of marriage, Galina moved to London with her children. During the divorce, the spouse demanded a record compensation from her husband. Boris met his new love Elena in 1996. The couple had children - Arina and Gleb. Their relationship ended before the very death of Berezovsky, the common-law wife filed a million dollar lawsuit.
Emigration
Since 2001, Berezovsky settled in London. The businessman became a shareholder in a foreign company, but did not gain influence in the UK and did not deserve the attention of the press. He maintained contacts with the Russian political elite who shared his views, but newspaper articles and radio appearances were rare and insignificant. The British authorities have more than once warned the disgraced politician that his statements about the change of power in Russia and the establishment of a monarchy in the country could lead to a revision of the refugee status granted to him.
The next time the name of the oligarch was sounded in 2007. The case concerned the investigation into the death of FSB officer Alexander Litvinenko. Another high-profile case was his financial claims against Roman Abramovich. He lost a lawsuit against a former business partner and suffered significant losses. Many overseas accounts of the once richest man in the country have been confiscated, properties seized or put up for sale. The financial condition of Boris Abramovich fell into decay, and the psychological state wanted to leave the best. In March 2013, the world learned about the death of the famous oligarch. His body was found in his own home, all the facts pointed to suicide.
Shortly before his death, Berezovsky drew up a will and gave an interview in which he said that he had lost the meaning of life and changed his mind about the path of development of Russia. He was no longer interested in politics, and he dreamed of spending the rest of his life in his homeland.
