Oleg Deripaska is a prominent Russian businessman and oligarch who rose to prominence in the 1990s and 2000s as one of the leading oligarchs in Russia. Born on January 2, 1968, in Dzerzhinsk, a city in central [Russia](https://doctorparadox.net/category/politics/russia/), Deripaska was the son of a nuclear physicist and a language teacher. He graduated from the [Moscow](https://doctorparadox.net/dictionaries/american-fascism/trump-tower-moscow/) State University of Railway Engineering in 1993 with a degree in physics and later went on to complete an MBA from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. Deripaska's business career began in the early 1990s, when he worked as an engineer in a metallurgical plant. He soon rose through the ranks and went on to establish his own company, Basic Element, which became one of the largest industrial conglomerates in Russia. The company operates in a variety of industries, including aluminum production, energy, mining, and aviation. In addition to his business ventures, Deripaska has been involved in politics and public affairs in Russia. He is known for his close ties to [the Kremlin](https://doctorparadox.net/data-sets/right-wing-populism-around-the-world/) and was a member of the Russian Parliament from 2000 to 2009. He also served as the head of the Russian Industrialists' and Entrepreneurs' Union, which represents the interests of Russia's largest companies. Deripaska's business dealings have often been controversial, with accusations of corruption and links to organized crime. He was denied a US visa in 2006 due to his alleged involvement in money laundering, although the decision was later overturned. In 2018, he was sanctioned by the US Treasury Department for his alleged role in Russian interference in the [2016 US presidential election](https://doctorparadox.net/category/politics/2016-election/). Despite the controversies, Deripaska remains one of the wealthiest individuals in Russia, with a net worth estimated at over $3 billion. He is known for his philanthropic activities, including the establishment of the Volnoe Delo Foundation, which supports education, science, and culture in Russia. ## Oleg Deripaska and Paul Manafort Oleg Deripaska and [[Paul Manafort]] have a well-documented business and personal relationship that dates back many years. Manafort is a former political consultant who worked on several campaigns in the United States, including [[Donald Trump]]'s successful bid for the presidency in [the 2016 election](https://doctorparadox.net/category/politics/2016-election/). The connection between Deripaska and Manafort was first established in the mid-2000s when Manafort was working as a political consultant in [Ukraine](https://doctorparadox.net/ukraine-war-and-russia-resources/). At the time, Deripaska was interested in expanding his business operations in Ukraine, and he hired Manafort to help him achieve that goal. Manafort worked as a consultant for Deripaska's company, providing advice on business strategy and political affairs in the country that would be later attacked by Russia first in 2014, and again more recklessly in 2022. ## Manafort owed Deripaska money The relationship between the two men continued for several years, and in 2007, Deripaska invested $18.9 million in a private equity fund that Manafort had established. The fund was used to invest in Ukrainian and Russian companies, and Deripaska was one of the major investors. However, the fund was ultimately unsuccessful, and Deripaska lost his investment. The most significant connection between Deripaska and Manafort came to light during the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election. It was revealed that Manafort had worked as a political consultant for the Trump campaign and that he had been in communication with Deripaska during that time. Manafort was also found to have owed Deripaska millions of dollars, and it was suggested that this debt may have been a factor in Manafort's decision to work on the Trump campaign.