Lev Leviev — diamonds (king of) with roots in the USSR
Lev Leviev is an Uzbekistan-born Israeli billionaire who built Africa Israel Investments and LLD Diamonds into a global empire spanning diamonds, real estate, and retail. Known as the King of Diamonds, he broke the De Beers monopoly on rough diamond sales and built a business network spanning Russia, Africa, and the United States.
Tracing the roots — Tashkent (Uzbek)
Born in Tashkent (Uzbek SSR) in 1956 to a Bukharan Jewish family — one of the world's oldest Jewish communities with deep connections to the Central Asian Silk Road and the Russian Imperial sphere — Leviev emigrated to Israel as a teenager. His diamond empire, built through personal relationships with African governments and Russian oligarchs, is a product of that uniquely positioned heritage.
Tashkent (Uzbek). At the time, this region was one of the fifteen republics of the Soviet Union.