The Big Take
‘Most Clever Oligarch’ Severed His $37 Billion Fortune From Russian Roots
The Ukraine-born British-American quietly diversified his wealth in areas far removed from where his billions were minted.
Len Blavatnik
Photographer: David M. Benett/Getty Images
Len Blavatnik calls himself foremost a self-made billionaire. The Ukraine-born British-American, by his own telling, is also a media mogul, a tech titan, a pioneering real estate investor and an industrialist.
But above all, what Blavatnik has always strived to make clear: He has no connections to Vladimir Putin or Russian politics, and he absolutely should not be described as an oligarch. He’s not even Russian.