Viktor Vekselberg — businessman with roots in the USSR
Viktor Vekselberg is a Ukrainian-born Russian billionaire who founded Renova Group — a major conglomerate spanning metals, energy, and technology. He is best known internationally for purchasing nine Imperial Fabergé Easter Eggs from the Forbes family in 2004 and returning them to Russia. He holds Swiss residency and was sanctioned by the US in 2018.
Tracing the roots — Drohobych (Ukraine)
Born in Drohobych, Ukrainian SSR in 1957, Vekselberg studied at the Moscow Institute of Transport Engineers and built his fortune through the aluminium and oil industries in the 1990s. His purchase of the Fabergé eggs — a deliberate act of cultural repatriation — speaks to the deep Russian cultural identity that underlies his international business empire.
Drohobych (Ukraine). At the time, this region was one of the fifteen republics of the Soviet Union.