Michael Cherney — aluminum king with roots in the Russian Empire
Michael Cherney (born Mikhail Chyorny) is an Uzbekistan-born Israeli businessman who was one of the most prominent and controversial figures in Russia's post-Soviet metals industry. He was involved in the establishment of RUSAL — Russia's largest aluminium company — and his business career intersected with virtually every major figure in Russian business in the 1990s.
Tracing the roots — Tashkent (Uzbek)
Born in Tashkent, Uzbek SSR in 1952 to a Jewish family, Cherney emigrated to Israel and built his business empire through the chaotic Russian privatisation era. His story — Tashkent Jewish boy becomes major player in Russian industrial privatisation, then flees to Israel — is the post-Soviet oligarch story at its most turbulent.
Industrial magnate; major philanthropist in Israel.
.svg?width=900)
Tashkent (Uzbek). At the time, this region lay within the Russian Empire, which spanned from Poland to the Pacific.