Suleiman Kerinmov is one of the richest and most influential businessmen in Russia. He is also a member of the Federation Council, where he was nominated from Dagestan. The oligarch's biography has ups and downs, but he learned from mistakes and built new, win-win combinations. The success story of a simple Soviet youth deserves attention.
The beginning of the career of Suleiman Kerimov
Suleiman Abusaidovich Kerimov was born on March 12, 1966 in the city of Derbent, Dagestan. Since childhood, he was fond of sports, but this did not stop him from studying well. After graduating from school, he served in the army and entered the university to study economics. He started his career at . Over the course of several years, Kerimov rose to the position of assistant general director, and then was transferred to Moscow. Subsequently, he managed to create capital by investing in assets with growth potential. He entered the oil and gas industry, becoming the owner of Nafta-Moscow. Suleiman acquired shares in Gazprom, Sberbank, and Polymetal, subsequently selling them at a favorable price and becoming a millionaire.
Policy
In 1999-2003, Kerimov was a deputy of the State Duma of the third convocation from the LDPR party and was a member of the State Duma Security Committee. From 2003 to 2007 – deputy of the State Duma of the 4th convocation from the Liberal Democratic Party and deputy chairman of the Committee on Physical Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs.
Since 2008, Kerimov has been a member of the Federation Council, a representative from the Republic of Dagestan. In 2020, he was re-elected as a senator from his region in the Federation Council.
The politician has several state awards and commendations:
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On March 10, 2020, he received the honorary badge of the Republic of Dagestan “For love of the native land.”
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On February 8, 2020, he was awarded the Badge “For Services to the Moscow Region”, 1st degree.
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On March 20, 2020, the President of Russia presented Kerimov with the medal of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, II degree.
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On September 4, 2020, he was awarded the title of honorary citizen of Derbent.
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He has the title "People's Hero of Dagestan."
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Awarded the Golden Order by the International Federation of United Wrestling Styles (FILA).
Romance with Natalya Vetlitskaya
At the beginning of the new century, Suleiman Kerimov became very interested in the popular singer Natalya Vetlitskaya. At the time of their acquaintance, Vetlitskaya was already very famous, but in her creative career everything was not going well. She did not record any new songs and fans even began to forget the bright beauty. Suleiman helped restore her to her former glory, invested a lot of money in filming new videos and organizing concerts for his beloved.
The affair with Vetlitskaya lasted about 4 years. Kerimov rarely appeared with her in public, remembering that he was still married. Natalya remembers these times with great warmth. Suleiman looked after her beautifully, gave huge bouquets of flowers and expensive jewelry. Vetlitskaya said that her lover brought her money in bags. On Natalya's birthday, when she turned 38, Kerimov organized an unforgettable banquet, stylized as an ancient ball.
But relations with Suleiman could not be called cloudless. The businessman was jealous of Natalya and did not want her to continue her career. He didn’t understand why she needed to perform at concerts if she didn’t lack money. The birth of Natalya's daughter Ulyana at that time raised many questions. Relations with Kerimov at that time were difficult and they no longer lived together. But many people from the businessman’s inner circle believe that Ulyana is Kerimov’s daughter. Parting with Vetlitsa was not very painful for Suleiman, since at that time he was already carried away by another beautiful girl. As a parting gift, he gave Natalya a luxurious house, an apartment in Paris and a private plane.
Personal life
Married since his student years. His wife, Firuza Kerimova, often accompanies her husband on charity trips. He is the founder of the “Territory of Good” foundation. The couple has three children: the eldest daughter Gulnara was born in 1990, then the son Abusaid was born in 1995, and the youngest daughter Aminat was born in 2003. Kerimov’s brother works as a doctor, and his sister is a teacher of Russian language and literature.
From January 2011 to December 2020, Kerimov owned the Anzhi football club. Under him, such famous players as Yuri Zhirkov, Roberto Carlos and Samuel Eto'o were bought. However, after budget cuts and a revision of strategy in 2013, many stars were sold, and young Russian players joined the team. The businessman financed the construction of a modern Anzhi Arena football stadium and the Anzhi children's football academy near Makhachkala.
He is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Russian Wrestling Federation.
Today, the entrepreneur is on the list of the richest businessmen in the country. In 2020, his net worth is estimated at $6.3 billion.
Relations with Anastasia Volochkova
Not yet parting with Vetlitskaya, Suleiman Kerimov began dating the young ballerina Nastya Volochkova. This novel subsequently became one of the most discussed, but at that time only a limited circle of people knew about it.
Kerimov spared no expense for his beloved. He not only gave expensive gifts, but also invested in promoting her talent. Suleiman got Volochkova a job at the Bolshoi Theater and paid for her performances abroad. At the same time, at some point he began to behave the same way as in his previous relationship. Kerimov controlled his beloved, watched her, persuaded her to quit her job. Volochkova assures that the demand to leave the stage was the reason for their separation. But some close to the businessman put forward their own versions. They believe that Anastasia should not have tried to take Suleiman away from the family. After the breakup, Kerimov began to take revenge on his former mistress. He was involved in a loud scandal related to Volochkova’s dismissal from the Bolshoi Theater. The ballerina is sure that Kerimov is to blame for her persecution.
The accident with Nice and the relationship with Tina Kandelaki
In 2006, Suleiman Kerimov was in a serious car accident. His luxury car crashed into a tree on one of the roads in Nice. The airbag deployed, but some fuel leaked from the tank and the car caught fire. Suleiman received burns and from then on began to wear thin gloves that matched the color of his skin to hide his mutilated hands.
It is interesting that at the time of the accident, TV presenter Tina Kandelaki was in the car with Suleiman. At that time she was married to a Moscow entrepreneur. She carefully hid her relationship with the influential billionaire. Tina was not injured in the accident, but the public became aware of her secret life. Kandelaki’s husband filed for divorce after this story.
Romance with Katya Gomiashvili
Around the same time, when Suleiman was in close contact with Tina Kandelaki, his new hobby was actively discussed in the capital. The chosen one was Ekaterina Gomiashvili. Katya's father is not a poor man. He is known to everyone for his role as Ostap Bender. Archil Gomiashvili is a restaurateur. With her father's money, Katya created her own clothing brand, Mia Shvili.
Things were going mediocre in the company until the owner of the brand started dating Suleiman Kerimov. The businessman invested a lot of money in this brand. Several boutiques were opened in London, decorated by the world's best designers. Kate Moss and other celebrities advertised clothes from Katya Gomiashvili. Representatives of the golden youth bought branded items with pleasure. But at some point Katya decided to close the boutiques. The reason was her pregnancy and reluctance to do business in the future. Katya never named the child’s father, but many consider Suleiman Kerimov to be the father. At that time, she was dating only him. After Gomiashvili gave birth, they separated. Kerimov gave his former mistress a villa in Spain. It became known that he allocated a lot of money for the maintenance of Gomiashvili’s daughter.
Charity
The entrepreneur is actively involved in charity work, both in his homeland in Derbent and throughout Russia. In 2000, he created the Suleyman Kerimov Foundation, which is implementing many projects. Among them is an educational one in Sochi for gifted children. It is worth noting that the businessman opened a branch of the center called Sirius Altair in Dagestan.
In his home region, Kerimov’s efforts have improved many hospitals, schools and museums. For example, school No. 1 in Kasumkent, the house-museum of the poet Suleiman Stalsky, and in one of the regions of the Republic, with the support of a politician, an apple orchard is being developed using the trellis method and a drip irrigation system.
Since 2006, the Dagestan businessman has supported the development of wrestling: his foundation has participated in financing the program for the development of freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling.
The entrepreneur finances pilgrimage trips of believers to holy places. And in the summer of 2020, in Mecca, pilgrims were given donations (sadaka) on behalf of a businessman on the eve of Eid al-Fitr.
In April 2020, it became known that Kerimov would allocate 60 million rubles to complete the program for relocation from dilapidated housing in Derbent. This is exactly the amount that was missing, emphasized the mayor of the city, Khizri Abakarov.
Passing hobbies and family loyalty
In addition to several long-term affairs on the side, Kerimov had many fleeting hobbies. One of them was the relationship with actress Olesya Sudzilovskaya. They were often seen together. Subsequently, the actress confirmed the rumors about the affair. The reason for their discord was Sudzilovskaya’s complex character and her independence. The actress did not want to leave the profession. According to her, Kerimov tried to persuade her to leave theater and cinema from the very beginning of the relationship. Suleiman was credited with an affair with Zhanna Friske. They were seen together several times in expensive restaurants. But this information was never confirmed by anyone. Also, his Kerimov was associated with the name of Ksenia Sobchak.
When not the best times came in the life of a businessman and senator, associated with the loss of a large amount of money and arrest, his former lover Anastasia Volochkova remembered him. She stated that she always considered Kerimov to be the main man in her life. But Suleiman did not comment on this. Despite his many hobbies, he still remains a married man. He is an ideal father for his children. In 2013, his first daughter Gulnara got married. Kerimov spent a fortune on the wedding, organizing the celebration at an elite golf club.
Building bussiness
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In the 2000s, Suleiman Kerimov became the owner of one of the largest construction holdings, Razvitie, which included Mospromstroy and Mosmontazhspetsstroy. Less than a year later, Oleg Deripaska bought the holding from a businessman.
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In 2009, Kerimov’s companies participated in the reconstruction of the Moscow Hotel. After the work was completed, the Four Seasons Hotel, a shopping center, apartments and offices opened in its place. In 2015, businessmen from Belarus, the Khotin brothers, bought the hotel from Kerimov.
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In 2009, Kerimov bought a 25% stake in the construction company. Later the share was increased to 38.3%. At the time of purchase, the company had nearly $2 billion in debt. In two years, Kerimov managed to stabilize PIK financially and increase its capitalization several times. In December 2013, he sold his stake to Sergei Gordeev and Alexander Mamut.
