10.8 billion dollars - the state of Roman Abramovich in 2018 (according to Forbes), which corresponds to the 11th line in the list of billionaires in Russia. Roman Abramovich earned his first official money by working as a construction engineer. Then for some time he was a stockbroker.

1991 - engaged in the resale of petroleum products
1996 - Sponsored Boris Yeltsin election campaign
1999 - earned his first legal billion dollars
2000 - became governor of Chukotka for 8 years
2003 - bought English football club "Chelsea"
However, these are relatively well-known stages of his biography. But less is known about the childhood and youth of one of the largest Russian businessmen.

Fidget from Sovetskaya Street

Sovetskaya Street, 31 - in Saratov, it is said that in the 90s and at zero it was a dream of local businessmen to have an office at or near this address. No wonder - in 1966 an unusual communal apartment was located in apartment number 2 of this house. Two rooms in it belonged to the future oligarch's grandmother, Roman Abramovich, Faina Grutman. It was here that the swaddled Roma Abramovich was brought by his mother Irina from the hospital of the First City Hospital.

The old-timers of Sovetskaya, 31, tell the story that a young mother often asked for help from her neighbors to swaddle a baby.

“He was a bullshit and strong, he needed two to wrap him up normally,” say neighbors about the house, whether it was true, or already late fiction.

Early lost mother and father

One day before his first birthday, the future businessman lost his mother, who died of blood poisoning. And at the age of 2.5 years, he became an orphan: Abramovich's father, who worked as the head of the supply department of a construction company, was seriously injured when he went to the site - he was crushed by a collapsed tower crane. Abramovich Sr. died after several days of torment.

Roman, who was left without parents, was adopted by his uncle, Leib Abramovich, who took his nephew to Ukhta.

Biographers today believe that orphanhood, frequent forced travels, and changing the situation brought up important qualities in the future oligarch — the ability to integrate into new circumstances and please people.

- Of course, we remember him! - happily responds to the mention of the name of the most famous graduate director of the 2nd Ukhta school Eleonora Sushkevich.

The family of Leib Abramovich, who worked as the head of the logging, was wealthy by Soviet standards. Ukhta children first saw Abramovich for the first time see a western tape recorder, fashionable sneakers, clothes not like others, and non-Soviet food stocks in the refrigerator. Uncle, according to his recollections, indulged his nephew, although he had two other daughters in his family.

- And who told you that? - Ida Ruchina responds to the question of kinship with the famous brother. For many years she headed the Chukchi branch of the Red Cross and with outsiders is ready to speak on any topic, except for the brother-oligarch. The same applies to the second sister, Natalia, who has worked most of her biography at Severgaztorg.

- He gave us a million rubles for maintenance, we were able to carry out work for which we didn’t have enough money before, - admits Eleonora Sushkevich.

To Moscow!

For education, the boy decided to send to Moscow, to the family of the second uncle - Abram Abramovich. In the capital, Roman lived and studied in the very center - in the area of ​​Tsvetnoy Boulevard. The class teacher recalled him with love, classmates argued that Roman always gave the impression of a bit shy young man, but he graduated from school well. And now they speak about him only in enthusiastic tones - the philanthropist has equipped an excellent gym, a kitchen, a modern computer class at the school. Then, at school, Abramovich fell in love with the first beauty - the future singer Natalia Sturm, but their relationship was not long.

The army became the next school of life for Abramovich. At that time, among the warriors, Muscovites and Jews were traditionally disliked. Roman Abramovich was doubly difficult, but he adapted again.

Tatyana Yumasheva, the daughter of the first president Boris Yeltsin, later told the story that it was in the army that Abramovich turned his first successful business deal. Having received the task to free the delineated perimeter from the forest, Private Abramovich came up with the idea of ​​attracting local people to the work, who not only quickly cut down the entire forest, but also paid the businessman in charge of wood for his work!

And in 2008, a certain Edil Aytnazarov with a bag of soldiers' photos arrived in a Bishkek newspaper from a remote Kyrgyz village - he had just found out how high his army comrade Romka Abramovich had taken off, having accidentally seen an article about him in a newspaper!

Co-worker excitedly told how Roman taught him to speak Russian properly, fry mushrooms gathered in the nearby forest and eat them with a wrench, since the soldiers did not have the equipment. When his mother died at Aytnazarov, Abramovich gave him a piggy bank, which he and a few co-workers were collecting for the demob.

- We planned to meet in Moscow every five years, but got lost. And now I will not see you again, probably, Edil is sad. “I don’t need anything from him, but maybe he will read it and he will be pleased that a fellow soldier remembers him ?!”

The first love

The title of first love Abramovich claim different ladies, which at least once fell view of the future oligarch. But the really serious relationship he had in the first year of the Ukhta Industrial Institute. Feelings flared to Vika Zaborovskaya. A couple, according to classmates, was fun and inseparable. According to friends, the reason for their separation was a new passion for the girl after Abramovich went into the army. After the demob, he did not even return to Ukhta, remained in Moscow.

Now the oligarch's first love is married, she has a daughter. Mutual acquaintances admit that the couple nevertheless met after years - in 2001 Roman invited his former girlfriend to the office of Sibneft and even offered her a fur coat and tickets to Paris for the weekend. They say Vika did not accept gifts. And she herself does not comment on this story in principle: “This is a personal one, I do not want to be like Monica Lewinsky!”