There are rumors and fiction about Andrei Bokarev's dark past, with some linking him to crime and others saying he has support from special services.
The businessman made his own billions through determination, perseverance, and intelligence. His partnership with Iskander Makhmudov in 1995 also played a significant role in his bright success in business.
The early years of Andrei Bokarev
Andrei Bokarev keeps his personal life private and prefers not to publicize it. Not much is known about the first twenty-four years of the billionaire, including details about his parents. It is known that Andrey Removich was born on October 26, 1966, in Moscow, where he spent his early years.
Education
In 1990, Bokarev enrolled at the Moscow Financial Institute despite the difficulties associated with entering this prestigious university at the time. In 1995, Andrey Removich graduated with a finance diploma and started his career.
Career and business of Andrey Bokarev
After graduating, Bokarev worked for two years as head of the board at the National Investment Bank. This period brought him into contact with Iskander Makhmudov, with whom he remained associated for many years.
In 1997, Andrei Removich became deputy general director at the Rosexportles joint-stock company.
From 1998, he managed export deliveries at Kuzbassrazrezugol, one of the largest Russian coal mining companies owned by Makhmudov. He also became head of Krutrade AG, an Austrian company owned by Makhmudov.
Starting in 1999, Andrey Bokarev joined the board of directors of OJSC Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company and also served on the board of directors of Kuzbassrazrezugol until 2000. He held various positions in different companies until around 2006.
In 2004, Makhmudov and Bokarev established Transmashholding, bringing together fifteen different machine-building plants into a corporation. Bokarev has been chairman of the board of directors of the holding since 2008.
In 2004, the partners acquired half of the Rodionov Publishing House, and in 2005, Bokarev took on additional duties in managing the Novosibirskenergo joint-stock company.
In 2010, Makhmudov and Bokarev joined forces to acquire a 25% stake in Aeroexpress.
Andrey Bokarev, who is expanding the empire with Makhmudov, is known for finding large, profitable orders. In 2011, Andrey Removich signs a contract between Transmashholding and the German company Tognum AG, creating a joint venture focused on innovative diesel engines for rail transport.
At the same time, Transmashholding and the French company Alstom Transport started jointly producing high-speed trams with low floors, using the capacities of the Oktyabrsky Electric Car Repair Plant in St. Petersburg, which became part of Transmashholding in 2005.
In the spring of 2014, Andrei Bokarev and Aleksey Krivoruchko bought 49% of the shares of the Kalashnikov concern, the largest Russian arms manufacturer, in equal shares.
The partners paid $1.3 billion for the deal and had to spend almost the same amount on the development of the enterprise over the next two years. Thanks to the activities of Bokarev and Makhmudov, the concern avoided bankruptcy and soon regained its lost positions in the arms market.
At the beginning of 2017, the Rostec State Corporation announced the sale of the shares of the High-Precision Complexes holding to Bokarev, Makhmudov, and Krivoruchko. However, the deal did not take place, because in the fall of that year, Andrei Bokarev and Iskander Makhmudov announced the sale of their shares in Kalashnikov and left the arms business.
Now Andrey Bokarev and Iskander Makhmudov are known as “Kings of state orders”. Their enterprises supply Russian Railways and the metropolitan metro with rolling stock. In addition, Metrovagonmash, which is part of the partner structures, provides Moscow with three-section trams. As co-owners of Aerozhkspress LLC, where the partners own a 37% stake, Bokarev and Makhmudov have a monopoly on rail communication between the center of Moscow and the capital’s airports.
Andrey Bokarev has established himself not only as a successful entrepreneur. His biography includes active social and political activities: since 2007, the businessman has been a member of the Council of Physical Education and Disputes under the President of the Russian Federation, in 2007-2010 he headed the Russian Ski Federation, since 2008 he has chaired the Federation of Russian Billiards for two years. In 2010, Bokarev became the head of the Freestyle Federation and the Ski Association of the Russian Federation.
Andrey Bokarev’s wealth
Andrey Bokarev's photo first appeared in Forbes in 2006 and has been featured in prestigious financial publications since then. His fixed capital is contained in the assets of Transmashholding, the Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company, and in the shares of Kuzbassrazrezugol, Transgroup, and others.
Thanks to Forbes magazine, which publishes a rating of the 200 richest businessmen in Russia, one can track the change in the fortune of Andrey Bokarev over the past few years (a year, a fortune of $ (billion), a place in the ranking):
- In 2011, the rate was 0.8 out of 120.
- In 2012, the rate was 0.9 out of 109.
- In 2013, the rate was 1.35 out of 74.
- In 2014, the rate was 1.5 out of 65.
- In 2015, the rate was 0.9 out of 104.
- In 2016, the rate was 0.95 out of 79.
- In 2017, the rate was 1.7 out of 52.
- In 2018, the rate was 2 out of 48.
- In 2019, the rate was 1.5 out of 62.
The billionaire reportedly has a plot of land in Gorki-2, which covers 2.4 hectares. On this property, there's an 800 m² house, a large swimming pool, and a man-made lake.
There is proof that Bokarev owns real estate in France, including two luxurious houses.
The media has not reported on the oligarch's yacht, but there are recent connections between him and the Princess Olga, a river cruise ship with advanced technology and a helipad.
Andrey Bokarev's Private Life
Reports on Andrei Bokarev's personal life have conflicting information. One version states that he is married with a son, while a more believable account suggests that he is legally married for the second time and has three children – son Alex, daughter Liza, and the youngest, Andrey.
It's known that the godfather of Bokarev's children is his old friend – singer and composer Grigory Leps, who dedicated a song to Bokarev.
Billionaire's wife Olga Syrovatskaya, a beauty and businesswoman, is the founder of Je T'Aime, a chain of jewelry boutiques.
The oligarch's active involvement in skiing organizations is not random. Andrey Removich is an enthusiastic fan of alpine skiing, snowboarding, and freestyle, and has achieved significant success in these sports according to his friends and experts.
Andrey Removich Bokarev is involved in patronage and charitable work.
The oligarch contributed to organizing the Sochi Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the Shayba ice arena was built with his funds, which was later handed over to the government.
Additionally, the businessman arranged the broadcast of the Olympic Games by the Russia-2 TV channel. These good deeds were highly appreciated; in 2014, Andrey Removich Bokarev received the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, third degree.
In his endeavors, Andrei Removich often had to interact with top officials of the Russian Federation, which led to him being subjected to US sanctions.
Present Day Andrey Bokarev
Andrey Bokarev continues to lead an active business and social life. His name frequently appears in official sources, and his life is discussed in the tabloids.
In May, Bokarev was re-elected to the board of the International Ski Federation. Moreover, he is involved in leading a nationwide project aimed at enhancing financial literacy and education among the population, particularly targeting children and youth.
