Minders? No, it’s Roman’s billionaire dog walkers!
MOST oligarchs would not dream of stepping out without at least one burly bodyguard by their side. So when Roman Abramovich was pictured walking his dog surrounded by scowling, scruffily- dressed men, it was widely assumed they were his minders.
In fact, the group included several of the Russian tycoon’s inner circle – with a combined personal wealth of almost £10billion.
The chelsea Fc owner, on holiday on his super-yacht off the Scottish coast, was pictured with his coterie of friends and advisers as he walked his corgi on the Isle of Arran.
They included the son of a powerful Russian politician, one of Ukraine’s richest men and two of Abramovich’s key lieutenants, who help to control his £5.9billion fortune.
Abramovich invited the men to join him onboard his £740million yacht Eclipse, which has its own cinema, submarine and high-tech defence system.
But since arriving in Scotland by private jet last Thursday, the oligarch has been keen to go ashore and explore its rugged coastline and remote islands.
he has been cycling on the Isle of Bute, visited a distillery on Arran where he walked his pedigree corgi, and went cycling again on Islay.
It is believed he will be staying in Scotland until the end of the week before heading for France in the yacht. his Scottish holiday shipmates include:
EUGENE SHVIDLER
Dubbed Abramovich’s ‘representative on Earth’, Shvidler is the tycoon’s closest friend, business partner and right-hand man.
A billionaire in his own right, the 52-year- old made a fortune in oil after the collapse of the Soviet Union and has a personal fortune of around £1billion. Abramovich and Shvidler co-founded the oil trading organisation Runicom and took control of Russian oil company Sibneft, which they later sold for £7.5billion.
Although a guest on Abramovich’s 533ft yacht, Shvidler has his own 371ft yacht, Le Grand Bleu, complete with its own helicopter and aquarium.
he also owns a French vineyard, chateau Thenac, bought after a wine-tasting trip with friends, and a £22million home in Belgravia, central London, which has leather floors.
his property portfolio includes an estate in Surrey and a chalet in Aspen, colorado.
Educated in New York, the married father-of-five now has joint UK and US nationality.
ALEXEY POLEZHAEV
he was an adviser to Abramovich when the chelsea boss was governor of the chukotka region of Rus- sia. he is also the son of Leonid Polezhaev, the former governor of the Omsk region.
Abramovich gave a £50million stadium to Omsk’s hockey team, the 10,000- seater Omsk Arena, as a gift.
Alexey Polezhaev has become a close friend and is also understood to be a billionaire.
DAVID DAVIDOVICH
Billionaire Davidovich’s penchant for casual dress has led to his frequently being mistaken for one of Abramovich’s bodyguards.
he and his wife favour a low-key lifestyle in Russia, away from the high profile of Abramovich and other Russian oligarchs.
A glossy society magazine in Moscow claimed the father-of-two was teased by his fellow billionaires for his miserly lifestyle, but Forbes magazine estimated his wealth at £1billion.
he and Shvidler both know Abramovich from Runicom in the mid-1990s and now help to control his fortune through the asset management firm Millhouse capital.
ALEXANDER YAROSLAVSKY
One of Ukraine’s richest men, Yaroslavsky managed to transform himself from a humble police officer to a tycoon after the fall of the Soviet Union.
Like Abramovich, he chose to invest in a football club and is a former owner of Metalist Kharkiv.
his personal investment of some £265million into infrastructure in Kharkiv was credited with ensuring the Ukrainian city was ready to host matches during the Euro 2012 championships.
Father-of-five Yaroslavsky, 55, had an estimated personal fortune of about £3billion in 2011.
however, recent estimates since the crisis in Ukraine have valued his wealth at around £600million.