Russian tycoon Alisher Usmanov, who is considered a favorite oligarch of President Vladimir Putin, asked to be removed from the board of directors of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Russia due to his retirement, Meduza reports.

The first to make this information public were journalists from RBC, Russia’s most famous financial television station, who received a photo of the document submitted by Usmanov to the trade union, in which he asks to be dismissed from his position due to “retirement and withdrawal from active activity.” work”.

The request submitted by him should be considered by the board of directors of the union at a meeting scheduled for January 25, RBC reports.

“Meduza” reminds us that Usmanov previously talked about his resignation, as early as 2012 he said that he would combine all his assets into a single holding and withdraw from direct business management.

Then, in an interview with Forbes magazine, he said that he would definitely retire before the age of 63 and do charity work.

Aliser Usmanov is now 69 years old, as the retirement age for men in Russia is 60, which is the lowest in Europe. For women, it is only 55, but Russian authorities intend to gradually raise both until 2028.

What wealth does an oligarch “especially close” to Vladimir Putin have?

The EU’s official journal calls Usmanov, one of Russia’s richest men, “a pro-Kremlin oligarch with particularly close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.”

Usmanov, considered Putin’s favorite oligarch, had several assets and properties seized in the West, including the $600 million superyacht Dilbar, after the EU imposed sanctions on him.

Only at the end of March last year, the Italian authorities confiscated Usmanov’s property and goods in Sardinia worth 66 million dollars, including an armored Mercedes-Maybach S650 Guard VR10 limousine worth 600,000 euros.

The EU also imposed sanctions on his sister after authorities discovered he had transferred several of his assets to her name, including the world’s largest superyacht Dilbar.

Usmanov is the founder and the largest shareholder of the USM Holdings group (he owns 49% of the shares), which includes Metalloinvest, Udokan Copper and Megafon.

He ranks seventh on Forbes’ list of the richest Russian billionaires, the financial magazine estimates his fortune at $11.5 billion.

Britain and the United States in turn imposed sanctions against Usmanov at the beginning of March last year, shortly after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

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