How Many Russian Oligarchs Are Jewish?

How many Russian oligarchs are Jewish? This is a question that has been asked frequently in the news lately. There seems to be a lot of speculation on the matter, but not a lot of concrete evidence.

In this blog post, we will take a look at some of the research that has been conducted on the matter, and try to come up with an answer.

How Many Russian Oligarchs Are Jewish?

According to a recent study, nearly half of all Russian oligarchs are Jewish. This is a staggering number, and it demonstrates the significant role that Jews have played in Russian business and politics over the past few decades.

While this may come as a surprise to some people, it really shouldn’t. The Jewish community has always been incredibly successful in business, and this is especially true in Russia.

An estimated 1 million Jews from Russia and other former Soviet Union have emigrated to Israel since the fall of the Soviet Union 30 years ago.

When Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, the focus quickly turned to powerful Russians and other individuals who would probably suffer economic sanctions as part of the international response to the unprovoked conflict.

Numerous Jewish billionaires who had benefited from their engagement in enterprises connected to the Russian government were among the individuals who had previously been named as prospective sanctions targets.

Almost all of them have experienced harsh penalties for their connections to Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin, in the past nearly five months.

What you need to know about the Jewish oligarchs in Russia and how they have fared since February.

In March, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency named 18 Jewish billionaires as potential targets for penalties; today, 15 of them are. They are worth more than $120 billion when combined.

They are among the thousands of Russians who have faced sanctions since the war began, including more than 1,200 by the US.

Numerous Russian Jewish men who are currently subject to travel restrictions and asset freezes have ties to American and European Jewish groups, frequently through their philanthropic contributions. The effects of their sanctions have already begun to be felt in the Jewish giving community.

For instance, the three founders of the Genesis Jewish philanthropy Group all resigned from the board after receiving a sanction, and a former Knesset member called for a boycott of the annual Genesis Prize ceremony in Jerusalem.

Because Of The Ukraine War, Thousands Of Jews Left Russia

Since the end of communism, there has been a significant effort in Moscow to grow Russia’s Jewish world. Pinchas Goldschmidt, the city’s top rabbi since 1993, was one of those at the front.

“We started from scratch with synagogues, schools, kindergartens, social services, teachers, rabbis and community members,” he told the BBC.

But two weeks into the war, Rabbi Goldschmidt and his family left Russia, first for Hungary and then for Israel. He then stepped down from his position and spoke out against the war (BBC).

Goldschmidt has said he felt he had to speak out against the invasion of Ukraine, and that doing so while still in Moscow would have put him at risk.

Rabbi Goldschmidt claimed that while some Russian Jews criticized him for leaving and speaking out because they were concerned that it would draw attention to their group, the majority were in his favor.

“I received some messages saying ‘How can you leave us alone?’ but I would say the great majority were extremely supportive. It was not a minor conflict to decide whether to go, for me and my wife the community was our lives.”

Goldschmidt said that it was by staying and speaking out that he could have put the community in danger.

Who Escaped Penalties?

Yuri Milner, the Bay Area-based social media mogul, is one of the men on the list who has distanced himself from Putin by speaking out against the war.

He has so far escaped sanctions. Although Oleg Deripaska called for an end to the fighting on Telegram in February 2022 — “Peace is very important! Talks need to be started as soon as possible!” — he is still subject to sanctions that were put in place against him by the US in 2018.

This shows that condemning the war has not completely shielded the oligarchs from punishment.

Leonard Blavatnik is another option. Blavatnik, who was born in Soviet Ukraine and is regarded as the richest man in Great Britain, was not included in JTA’s initial list since the US had not yet targeted him for sanctions.

He does, however, share many traits with those on the list, having amassed an estimated net worth of around $27.5 billion from the Russian chemical industry and other endeavors. He travels often between the US and Europe and has not received any sanctions.