One of the richest Russians, the oligarch and former presidential contender Mikhail Prokhorov consistently sells his assets. Probably, the nationality of his business can change formally soon. Experts believe that neither the investment policy of Mikhail Prokhorov, nor where he directs money, causes any allergy in the Kremlin. Mikhail Prokhorov has simply ceased to be of interest to the authorities, and now can keep the path to all four sides.

Disposal of assets

After the sale of shares in Rusal, Mikhail Prokhorov's capital will be in the US. As reported by the media, the main assets of Mikhail Prokhorov - a basketball club, contracts for the rental of sports and entertainment grounds, etc. Are concentrated in New York. The Bloobberg agency estimates assets of more than two billion dollars.
The billionaire purposely gets rid of his business in Russia. In June, the ESN group Grigory Berezkin bought out 65 percent of the shares and debt obligations of RBC's media holding from the Onexim group. The sale of 7% of Rusal to the structures of Viktor Vekselberg and Leonard Blavatnik is, in fact, a psychological frontier, after which the ownership of the whole business can actually change. Earlier, Mikhail Prokhorov announced his intention to get rid of all Russian assets, after searches were carried out in offices of several companies of ONEXIM in April last year.

It has been suggested that attention to Onexim's structures may be due to an attempt to force Mikhail Prokhorov to sell RBC's media holding, which published a number of high-profile investigations. However, could a billionaire really irritate the authorities to such an extent?

Possession of money

Mikhail Prokhorov is indeed one of the most active Russian oligarchs who have earned a fortune on the wave of perestroika. While still a student at a financial institution, in 1988 he organized a cooperative for the production of "boiled" jeans with friends. "In Russia, then only ordinary jeans were sold. We got the "boiling" technology, and the business quickly went up. We got rich: I bought an old Lada from my hands and spent money on girls and parties. This was the last time that the possession of money brought me real joy, "the billionaire shared his memories.

But, like many who managed to earn money at that time, it was not all about the party. Mikhail Prokhorov gave his jeans business to friends and went to work in the bank. Mikhail Prokhorov worked in the SEVOV bank of the IBEC, which serviced operations between companies from socialist countries. Deeds all the time went up the hill. Later, together with Vladimir Potanin, they created the bank "International Finance Company" (IFC), then "unaffected by elements" of ONEKSIM Bank, and then acquired a controlling stake in Norilsk Nickel. Mikhail Prokhorov left these projects in connection with the business section. For a blocking stake in Norilsk Nickel, Prokhorov received $ 4.5 billion and a 14% stake in UC Rusal and became a shareholder of the company.

In 2010, Mikhail Prokhorov acquires a controlling stake in the NBA Basketball Club NBA, who moved from New Jersey to Brooklyn with him. From December 2010 to June 2011 - General Director of OJSC Polyus Gold.

In the same year, the Onexim Group of Mikhail Prokhorov bought 51.1 percent of ZAO RBC-TV Moscow, the parent company of the holding company RBC. The deal, announced in the summer of 2009, amounted to $ 80 million. There were no obvious conflicts with Mikhail Prokhorov over the years. Moreover, many of his undertakings were maintained at the highest level. To recall at least the idea of ​​creating a Russian hybrid "e-mobile" for the middle class. The prototype of the car was personally run by Vladimir Putin, who went there from Novo-Ogarev near Moscow to the then president Dmitry Medvedev's residence in Gorki.

But in 2014 the ONEXIM group refused to continue developing the "e-mobile". This was explained by the fact that, in addition to the increased cost of production of cars, demand for cars of this class fell. As a result, all technical documentation was transferred to the Russian Automobile Institute NAMI.

The Kremlin Project

In politics, Mikhail Prokhorov came in mid-2011. He headed the Right Cause party. The liberal movement was created in 2008 on the basis of the Union of Right Forces, the Democratic Party of Russia and the Civil Force party. In the press, it was often called the "Kremlin project", which appeared with the sanction of the federal authorities. But in the fall of 2011 Prokhorov was expelled from the party. The billionaire accused the Kremlin administration of raiding the seizure of his political project.

There was also a second attempt to re-engage in politics. Mikhail Prokhorov announced the nomination of his candidacy for the presidency. In the 2012 elections he gained about 8%, and after that he created the Civil Platform party. It included his supporters from the "Right Cause", but for some reason in the next two years the party refused to participate in a number of key regional elections, including the mayor of Moscow and the Moscow City Duma. In May 2014, Prokhorov resigned as chairman of the political committee, and in October, his sister Irina, who had headed the civil committee before, was removed from the leadership of the party.

Be able to negotiate

Analysts believe that Mikhail Prokhorov was never bothered by anybody in business. According to the economist and publicist Nikita Krichevsky, the characteristic feature of Prokhorov, like many other representatives of the authorities and business of the 1990s and 2000s, is his pathological failure. Virtually all of Mikhail Prokhorov's projects were unprofitable - from e-mobile to RBC. He lost everything that he invested from the very beginning. Nikita Krichevsky believes that in a developed and developing economy, it is necessary to coexist and negotiate with other institutions: "First of all, with authority. Here, Prokhorov's catastrophic failure. Over the past year, he has managed to quarrel with virtually all power actors, as well as with all Russian colleagues from big business. "

In Krichevsky's opinion, in reality, power in relation to Mikhail Prokhorov took a neutral position. I wanted to sell, nobody will interfere with this. "For how much - as you agree. And Prokhorov will agree on a price lower than these assets today really cost. Just because Prokhorov is a pathological loser from the wild 1990's, and not a businessman of a new generation, "Krichevsky said.

Economist

Sergei Aleksashenko is more moderate in his assessments, but he also believes that the Kremlin does not cause any allergies, where Prokhorov sends his money. How will the life of the Russian oligarch develop? Nikita Krichevsky recalls that abroad, Mikhail Prokhorov was never perceived as a representative of the new Russian business wave, but was always considered a man who received a huge fortune on questionable privatization deals. Therefore, with all the external glossiness of Prokhorov for the West - the owner if not dirty, then exactly gray money: "The notions of morality in the new Western business are strong, and a man who stole from his own country, no matter how much he invests in the social sphere, will never Be considered your own. "

In turn, Sergei Aleksashenko notes that in addition to his basketball club, virtually nothing is known about any foreign assets of Mikhail Prokhorov: "Either he became such an absolutely passive investor and holds money in bonds, in some small packages of shares, without claiming at all On direct management of business, or he invests so that no one knows about it. "

What happened to the oligarch with the authorities, one can only guess. But parting looks nice. In any case, there is no reason to worry about Mikhail Prokhorov's future. Probably, he will find than to occupy himself in life. In any case, the Russian oligarch abroad will not be in poverty. So, without envy, we must admit that his life was much more successful than that of most of his compatriots. But, probably, the main thing is that the time in which Mikhail Prokhorov managed to earn his money has irretrievably gone, but in the new one he already has no place.