Head Scratchers

Roman Abramovich’s Mysterious Teenage Son Buying Up Russian Oil Assets

By the time he was in his early 20s, Roman Abramovich was investing what money he had and starting to build up tiny businesses. His son, Arkadiy, is doing the same… but in his teens. And the businesses aren’t tiny. What’s especially weird about this is that (of course) no one’s writing him off as just some precocious kid. They’re looking at him, wide-eyed, as a billionaire. Which he undoubtedly is (well, thanks to his dad, at least).

Arkadiy Abramovich is looking to buy major oil and gas assets in Russia and former Soviet Union countries, through his company, Zoltav Resources, Bloomberg reports. Just like Dad, right? While making a mark in the Russian energy sector certainly runs in the family, Arkadiy is apparently going into these deals independently of his father. So, can he be a success?

Well, if it helps, this isn’t the young mogul’s first foray into deal-making. In April, Arkadiy announced that he bought a 26-percent stake in the British firm Crosby Asset Management, through his other company, ARA Capital. In the aftermath, Crosby’s stock shot up.

Strangely, information on the Abramovich offspring – and particularly Arkadiy – is very scarce. We found literally one photo of him, on a Danish website. And we’re not even certain exactly how old he is. While Bloomberg’s report says he’s 17, British media who covered his deal in April said he was 20 (of course, we’d have reason to believe it’d be smart for him to fudge about his age). Whatever his exact age is, he’s gotta be under 20 – which raises a number of questions. Does he go to school? University? Does he have a clue what he’s talking about – or is he just a puppet for Dad?

There was also a report in December 2010 that Arkadiy was in talks to take over FC Copenhagen, mirroring his father’s ownership of the British soccer team Chelsea. At that point, he could have been as young as 16.

Seriously, who are you, Arkadiy Abramovich?

TAGS: Arkadiy Abramovich | arkadiy abramovich russia | arkady abramovich | roman abramovich son

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