Alexander Lebedev

Alexander Lebedev
Александр Лебедев
Lebedev in 2019
Born
Alexander Yevgenievich Lebedev

(1959-12-16) 16 December 1959 (age 64)
Alma materMoscow State Institute of International Relations
OccupationBusinessman
Known forFormer KGB officer
Spouse
Natalia Sokolova
(sep. 1998)
PartnerElena Perminova (2005–present)
Children5, including Evgeny

Alexander Yevgenievich Lebedev (Russian: Александр Евгеньевич Лебедев, IPA: [ɐlʲɪˈksandr jɪvˈɡʲenʲjɪvʲɪtɕ ˈlʲebʲɪdʲɪf]; born 16 December 1959)[1] is a Russian businessman, and has been referred to as one of the Russian oligarchs. Until 1992, he was an officer in the First Chief Directorate (Foreign Intelligence) of the Soviet Union′s KGB and later one of the KGB's successor-agencies, Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).

In early 2008, he was listed as the 39th richest Russian, and worth an estimated US$3.1 billion by Forbes magazine, but by October 2008 he was worth $300 million.[2] In March 2012, Forbes estimated his fortune at US$1.1 billion. His fortune has since declined, and he is no longer considered to be a billionaire.[3] He is part owner of the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta[4] and owner of two UK newspapers with his son Evgeny Lebedev: the Evening Standard and The Independent.

In May 2022, Lebedev was put on Canada's sanctions list following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[5] He was separately reported to have met Vyacheslav Dukhin, a senior Russian government official, weeks before the invasion.[6]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Pers was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Harding, Luke (24 October 2018). "Twilight of the oligarchs: Communism's collapse made them multi-billionaires, but now Russian capitalism is in trouble. Can their colossal fortunes survive the downturn, or is this the end of an era?". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  3. ^ "Alexander Lebedev". Forbes. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  4. ^ Elliott, John; Ungoed-Thomas, Jon (7 January 2007). "Tycoon linked with Litvinenko 'survived poisoning'". The Sunday Times. London. Archived from the original on 24 February 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  5. ^ "Canada puts sanctions on Russian media tycoon Alexander Lebedev". The Guardian. 21 May 2022.
  6. ^ "Alexander Lebedev met senior Russian government official weeks before invasion of Ukraine". Business Insider. 28 April 2022. Archived from the original on 29 April 2022.