Alexander Lebedev facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alexander Lebedev
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| Александр Лебедев | |
Lebedev in 2019
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| Born |
Alexander Yevgenievich Lebedev
16 December 1959 Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (now Russia)
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| Alma mater | Moscow State Institute of International Relations |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Former KGB officer |
| Spouse(s) |
Natalia Sokolova
(separated 1998) |
| Partner(s) | Elena Perminova (2005–2024) |
| Children | 5, including Evgeny |
Alexander Yevgenievich Lebedev was born on December 16, 1959. He is a Russian businessman. People sometimes call him one of the Russian oligarchs, which means he is a very wealthy and powerful business person in Russia. Before 1992, he worked as an officer for the KGB, which was the main intelligence agency of the Soviet Union. Later, he worked for its successor, the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).
In 2008, he was listed as one of the richest people in Russia. His wealth changed over time, but he is known for owning important newspapers. He is a part-owner of the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta. With his son, Evgeny Lebedev, he also owns two newspapers in the United Kingdom: the Evening Standard and The Independent. In May 2022, Alexander Lebedev was added to Canada's list of people facing sanctions.
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Early Life and Education
Alexander Lebedev was born in Moscow, the capital city of Russia. His parents were well-educated people. His father, Yevgeny Nikolaevich Lebedev, was a talented athlete who played for the Soviet national water polo team. He later became a professor at a top technical university in Moscow. Alexander's mother, Maria Sergeyevna, taught English after graduating from a teaching university.
In 1977, Alexander Lebedev began studying economics at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. After he finished his studies in 1982, he worked on research for his advanced degree. His research focused on global economic issues.
Career in Intelligence Services
After his studies, Lebedev joined the First Chief Directorate of the KGB, which was the foreign intelligence branch. From 1988, he worked at the Soviet embassy in London, England. He focused on economic topics there. He continued to work for the KGB's successor agency, the Foreign Intelligence Service, until 1992.
Business Ventures
After leaving the intelligence services, Alexander Lebedev started his first company, the Russian Investment-Finance Company. In 1995, this company bought a small Russian bank called the National Reserve Bank. This bank grew quickly and became one of the largest banks in Russia.
The bank owned parts of many important Russian companies, including:
- A share of Aeroflot, the main Russian national airline.
- A large part of Ilyushin Finance Co., which is involved in building aircraft.
- Shares in other big companies like Sberbank and Gazprom.
The National Reserve Bank was the main part of a larger group of companies called the National Reserve Corporation. This group also owned businesses in farming, housing construction, and tourism. For example, it owned the National Land Company, which was a big potato producer in Russia. It also had many hotels in Crimea.
Lebedev used to own a newspaper called Moskovski Korrespondent. However, he closed it down after it published an article about Vladimir Putin.
In 2009, Lebedev and his company bought about 75% of the Evening Standard newspaper in the UK for a very small price. He promised not to interfere with how the newspaper was run. He mentioned that when he was a spy in London, he used the Evening Standard to find information.
In 2010, Lebedev also bought The Independent and Independent on Sunday newspapers for a symbolic £1.
In 2012, the National Reserve Bank faced some challenges, and Lebedev announced he would close its regional offices and sell off many of its assets in Russia.
More recently, in 2019, Lebedev invested in a project that builds electric-powered passenger ships. The first ship, called the Ekovolt catamaran, was launched in 2020. In 2021, he started a project in the world of decentralized finance, which is a type of cryptocurrency platform.
Political Activities
In 2003, Alexander Lebedev ran for mayor of Moscow and also for a seat in the State Duma, which is like Russia's parliament. He did not win the mayoral election but did get a seat in the State Duma. He stayed in the Duma until 2007.
Lebedev was also the Vice Chairman of the Duma's committee on the Commonwealth of Independent States. He also worked with the parliament of Ukraine.
He was a co-owner of Novaya Gazeta with former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev. This newspaper is known for being critical of the Russian government.
In 2008, Mikhail Gorbachev and Lebedev announced they would start a new political party called the Independent Democratic Party of Russia.
In 2009, Lebedev tried to run for mayor of Sochi, the city that hosted the 2014 Winter Olympics. However, a court ruled that he could not be a candidate. This was because his campaign received small donations from teenagers, which is against Russian election rules. Lebedev said that these teenagers were told to donate the money by someone from the Sochi council.
Lebedev publicly supported Russia's actions in Crimea in 2014. In 2017, he held a meeting in his hotel in Crimea to try and change how Western media reported on the region.
In 2019, he published a book called Hunt the Banker: The Confessions of a Russian Ex-Oligarch.
Charity Work
Alexander Lebedev has supported many cultural and charity projects. He created an organization called the Charitable Reserve Fund to help manage these activities. Some of the projects he has supported include:
- A center for children's blood diseases and transplants in Saint Petersburg.
- The Burdenko Military Hospital.
- The State Russian Museum.
- Various theaters, including the Fomenko Theater and the Moscow Art Theatre.
- The restoration of a monument to Alexander Suvorov in the Swiss Alps.
- A monument in London called Sorrow, which remembers Soviet soldiers who died in World War II.
For his charity work, Lebedev has received awards from the Russian Orthodox Church and UNESCO.
Personal Life
Alexander Lebedev's first wife was Natalia Sokolova. They have one son together, Evgeny Lebedev, who is now a member of the House of Lords in the UK. They separated in 1998.
Since 2005, Lebedev's partner has been Elena Perminova, who used to be a model. They have four children together.
Lebedev is known for hosting fancy parties with many famous guests, including musicians, actors, and politicians. He owns beautiful properties in Italy, which are sometimes rented out.
Images for kids
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Lebedev in 2019
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Alexander Lebedev with Vladimir Putin in May 2002
See also
In Spanish: Aleksánder Lébedev para niños
