Leonid Mikhelson

Leonid Mikhelson is the founder and chairman of natural gas producer Novatek. In 2017 he bought a 17% stake in petrochemical company Sibur from Kirill Shamalov, Putin's reported former son-in-law, increasing his stake to 48%. In 2021 Sibur merged with TAIF Group, with extensive assets in the Republic of Tatarstan; among TAIF's owners are the sons of Tatarstan's first president. His partner in both Novatek and Sibur is sanctioned oligarch Gennady Timchenko, who is said to have close ties to President Vladimir Putin.Mikhelson began his career as a foreman for a construction company building a gas pipeline in Russia's Tyumen region.