The Yevtushenkov family owns a 59 per cent stake in Russian holding company AFK Sistema, with a diversified portfolio that includes Russia’s largest cellular operator, MTS, oil production, retail and healthcare chain Medsi. Former plastics engineer Vladimir Yevtushenkov co-founded Sistema in 1993 and took the company public in 2005.
Vladimir Yevtushenkov began his career at the Karacharov Factory of Plastics, later becoming the Chief Engineer at the Polymer Scientific and Production Association in 1982. In 1990, Vladimir Yevtushenkov was appointed the Chairman of Moscow’s Municipal Committee for Science and Technology. He left the post to start Sistema and initially focussed the company’s activities on oil and gas fields.
Vladimir Yevtushenkov’s wife is the sister of billionaire businesswoman Yelena Baturina, who is the wife of Moscow’s former Mayor, Yuri Luzhov. Vladimir’s son, Felix Yevtushenkov, has held several supervisory and Chairman roles in Sistema and its holdings. In 2014, Vladimir and Sistema were the focus of a high-profile legal and ownership battle over assets related to Russian-controlled oil and gas company Bashneft. In 2017, Sistema settled the dispute for $1.8 billion. Vladimir Yevtushenkov is estimated to be worth $1.7 billion.
