Akhemetov Rinat Leonidovych

Rinat Akhemetov is the richest person in Ukraine ($6.34 billion according to Bloomberg, May 2024), owner of SCM, DTEK, Metinvest. According to insider testimonies, in his youth Akhemetov was involved in the criminal group "Lux," led by Akhat Bragin ("Alik Greek") — the "godfather" of organized crime in Donbas. His first official job recorded in his employment book was at "Dongorbank" in 1995 — when Akhemetov was already almost 29. Since the early 2000s, he engaged a powerful legal team that seeks court retractions of publications about his criminal past. The price of silence is up to $100,000 per lawsuit.

President of the club after predecessor's death

On October 15, 1995, the previous owner of "Shakhtar," Bragin, died as a result of an explosion at the stadium. Exactly one year later, Akhemetov became the club's president. After Bragin's murder and the killings of several other Donetsk businessmen, according to Serhiy Taruta, Akhemetov spent several years confined to his estate and spent huge amounts on his personal security. The brewery owned by the murdered Pavlenko passed to Akhemetov and was renamed "Sarmat."

Yanukovych as an instrument and U.S. visa refusal

Akhemetov was a patron of Yanukovych — the "coal-coke-metal" scheme and the raider seizure of the Illich Iron & Steel Works became possible precisely after his presidency in 2010. Hackers published data about the duo's ties with the leaders of the "DPR." According to media speculation, it is precisely because of his criminal past that Akhemetov has been unable to obtain a U.S. visa for years, despite holding assets there worth over $1 billion.