Name

Andrey Igorevich Melnichenko

Year of birth

1972

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Additional Information

Nationalities:

Russian Federation

Places of birth:

Belarus

Other information:

Function: Former Non-Executive Director of JSC SUEK, Former Member of the Board of EuroChem Group

Justifications:

Andrey Melnichenko is a Russian industrialist who continues to control major fertiliser producer EuroChem Group and coal company SUEK. Since 9 March 2022, Melnichenko transferred his interests in SUEK and Eurochem Group to his spouse, Aleksandra Melnichenko. He continues to benefit from the wealth he transferred to his wife. During 2022, his wealth more than doubled, which made him the richest person in Russia in 2023.

Andrey Melnichenko belongs to the most influential circle of Russian businesspersons with close connections to the Russian government, as is evident from his involvement with the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, where he holds the position of member of the Bureau of the Board. On 24 February 2022, in the aftermath of the initial stages of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, Andrey Melnichenko, along with 36 other businesspersons, met with the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, and other members of the Russian government to discuss the impact of the course of action in the wake of Western sanctions, thus exemplifying his importance as a leading businessperson in Russia. Moreover, he was among the leading Russian businesspersons who participated in the congress of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs in March 2023, where the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, gave a speech and urged billionaires to put “patriotism before profit”.

Those elements show that he is a leading businessperson involved in economic sectors providing a substantial source of revenue to the Government of Russia, which is responsible for the annexation of Crimea and the destabilisation of Ukraine.