Russia

Alexander Grischuk

Moscow's fearless blitz king and three-time Candidates finalist

Alexei Navalny

Russia's most prominent dissident, martyred for truth.

Andrei Sakharov

The bomb's architect who became its conscience.

Anna Chapman

Russia's most glamorous Cold War ghost

Daniil Dubov

Moscow chess prodigy who became world rapid chess champion and Magnus Carlsen's second

Daniil Kvyat

Ufa-born Formula 1 driver who became Russia's most successful F1 racer of his generation

Danila Kozlovsky

Russia's most celebrated young actor and director, famous in Russia and globally for Vampire Academy

Eugene Kaspersky

The Soviet-trained mind who made cybersecurity global

George Blake

Dutch-British double agent who spied for the KGB and became one of the Cold War's most notorious moles

Ian Nepomniachtchi

Bryansk-born chess prodigy and two-time World Chess Championship Challenger

Igor Akinfeev

CSKA Moscow's legendary goalkeeper — the most capped Russian outfield player in history

Kazimir Malevich

Born in Kyiv, painted Black Square and invented abstract art

Kim Philby

Britain's most damaging spy — the Cambridge Five leader who defected to Moscow in 1963

Konstantin Khabensky

Leningrad-born actor who starred in Night Watch and became the face of modern Russian cinema internationally

Lev Landau

Born in Baku, became the greatest Soviet physicist and the only man to win the Nobel Prize while in a coma

Ludwig Faddeev

Leningrad mathematical physicist who solved the three-body problem and transformed quantum field theory

Maria Butina

Barnaul-born Russian operative who infiltrated the NRA and US Republican circles — imprisoned then deported

Nikita Mazepin

Moscow-born Formula 1 driver, son of billionaire Dmitry Mazepin — lost his F1 seat after Russia's Ukraine invasion

Peter Svidler

Leningrad-born chess grandmaster — eight-time Russian Chess Champion and Candidates stalwart

Petr Badmaev

Born a Buryat Buddhist in Siberia — became Tsar's personal physician, geopolitical adviser, and Russia's most exotic figure

Regina Todorenko

Odessa-born presenter who became one of Russia's most popular TV hosts — now in exile

Sergey Shoygu

Tuvan-Russian Defence Minister who oversaw Russia's catastrophic invasion of Ukraine

Svetlana Khodchenkova

Moscow-born actress who played Viper in The Wolverine and became Russia's most internationally recognised star

Ilya Varlamov

Russia's most popular urban blogger who fled to exile after opposing the Ukraine war

Viktor Pelevin

Born in Moscow — Russia's most mysterious and celebrated contemporary novelist

Viktor Tsoi

Leningrad rock idol with Korean roots — the voice of Soviet youth who died at 28 and became a cult god

Vladimir Mashkov

Vladimir Spivakov

Born in Ufa to a family of musicians — founded the Moscow Virtuosi and became Russia's most beloved conductor

Yevgeny Kafelnikov

Sochi-born tennis pioneer — first Russian to win a Grand Slam and reach World No. 1

Yulii Borisovich Khariton

Yuliya Snigir

Yuri Denisyuk

Zurab Tsereteli

Vagit Alekperov

Born in Baku — founded LUKOIL, Russia's largest private oil company, and became one of the world's richest men

Vladimir Potanin

Born in Moscow — controls Norilsk Nickel, the world's largest producer of nickel and palladium

Alexei Mordashov

Born in Cherepovets — controls Severstal, Russia's most efficient steelmaker, and was the majority shareholder of TUI travel group

Tatyana Bakalchuk

Founded Wildberries from her Moscow apartment while on maternity leave — built the largest e-commerce platform in Russia