FBI Raids Washington Home of Russian Oligarch Oleg Deripaska

On Oct. 19, 2021, the FBI raided the Washington home of Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska. The reason for the raid wasn’t immediately clear.

The FBI spokesperson stated that the agency is “conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity” at the residence, but provided no other details. Here's a look at Deripaska's net worth, personal life, and career.

Media outlets have provided various estimates of Deripaska’s net worth. According to Forbes, Deripaska’s net worth is about $4.9 billion, while Celebrity Net Worth estimates his assets to be worth $3 billion. He was previously one of the richest Russians but lost much of his net worth in the 2008 financial crisis.

Deripaska was born on Jan. 2, 1968, in Dzerzhinsk, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. He's the son of Vladimir and Valentina Deripaska. His parents were originally from the Kuban region. Deripaska grew up on the family’s small farm in Ust-Labinsk, Krasnodar Krai. He learned to live off the land from his grandparents, who mainly raised him when his widowed mother, an engineer, had to go out to find employment.

In 2001, Deripaska married Polina Yumasheva, the daughter of Boris Yeltsin's chief of staff, Valentin Yumashev. Polina is also the stepdaughter of Yeltsin's daughter, Tatyana. In 2017, Deripaska and Polina divorced. The couple has two children.

In 1993, Deripaska earned a degree in physics from Moscow State University. However, as the Soviet Union collapsed, academic funding dried up, making it difficult for him to complete his studies as a theoretical physicist. In 1996, Deripaska received a master’s degree from the Plekhanov University of Economics.

Deripaska made the most of his fortune as the CEO of United Company RUSAL, the world's largest aluminum company. RUSAL produces about 10 percent of the world’s aluminum. Deripaska is also chairman of the supervisory board of Kompaniya Bazovyy Element (Basic Element) in Russia. Basic Element is a Russian industrial conglomerate with interests in energy, construction, aluminum, agriculture, and more. Additionally, Deripaska is CEO and president of En+ Group, an energy-related company.

Deripaska began his career as a metals trader after he graduated from the University of Moscow. He took advantage of Boris Yeltsin's privatization by purchasing shares in aluminum companies at the time. He was 26 years old when he bought the bulk of employees' shares in an aluminum company in Sayansk (Siberia), and so became a director.

In 2000, Deripaska founded RUSAL, and six years later, he merged it with competitor SUAL. Deripaska is one of several Russian businessmen who have risen quickly thanks to the strong link between politics and business in the country.

Volnoe Delo, Russia's largest private charity foundation, was founded by Deripaska in 1998. The foundation supports more than 400 initiatives across Russia focused on education and science, preserving spiritual and cultural heritage, and improving public health. Deripaska’s donations to date are worth more than $250 million.