The assets Roman Abramovich could put under the hammer

Roman Abramovich has built up a global empire spanning businesses, luxury properties, artwork, cars, private jets and superyachts, alongside his investment in Chelsea Football Club. On Wednesday, Abramovich confirmed speculation that he plans to sell the Premier League club. 

The Russian oligarch, who has an estimated fortune of $13.5bn (£10bn), made most of his fortune through oil and metals in the 1990s and early 2000s.

But he is now said to be selling some of these assets after his links to Vladimir Putin made him a potential target for Western sanctions.

Property

Abramovich has already put his 15-bedroom mansion in Kensington Palace Gardens, one of Britain’s most expensive streets, on the market with a price tag of more than £150m, the Times reported.

The jewel in the crown of his London portfolio, this enormous home is Grade II-listed and was once used as the Russian embassy. 

A planning application submitted five years ago sought permission to add an underground pool, sauna and steam room, staff accommodation and an outdoor terrace. 

Separately, the tycoon is seeking buyers for a triplex penthouse he owns in the 37-storey Chelsea Waterfront building, potentially worth another £30m.

The penthouse has floor-to-ceiling windows with panoramic views of its surroundings, including the Thames and Abramovich’s beloved Stamford Bridge.

Meanwhile, Abramovich’s other property interests include a six-storey townhouse in Eaton Square, jokingly dubbed “Red Square” for its number of Russian residents, that he bought for £28m, as well as the Château de la Croë, a 19th century villa on one of the most exclusive sections of the French Riviera.

The Château, on which the tycoon spent a reported £30m for extensive restoration work, was once home to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor after the Duke abdicated the British throne in 1936.

In the US, Abramovich purchased a 200-acre ranch in Aspen, Colorado, for $36.3m, while he bought an $89m estate on the Caribbean island of Saint Barthelemy.

He currently spends most of his time in Israel, where he has citizenship and owns the Varsano hotel in Tel Aviv, which he bought for £25m and intended to use as a residence.

Yachts and planes

Like many other billionaires, Abramovich has a fleet of boats and planes at his disposal that ensure he can travel the world in style.

Perhaps the most opulent is Solaris, a £430m floating palace spanning eight decks with 48 cabins. 

The 461ft vessel is the most expensive custom-made superyacht ever built and has space for 36 guests and a crew of 60, while also boasting a swimming pool, helipad, outdoor “beach club” area and a plethora of other amenities.

Solaris was recently spotted in Barcelona, where it was parked in a refit bay alongside other massive ships.

But it is not even the largest boat in Abramovich’s armada – an accolade which goes to the 533ft Eclipse, which cost a reported $1bn to build. 

This colossal boat has two helipads and a hanger, a gym, nightclub, beauty salon, two swimming pools, a steam room and can accommodate 62 guests and 50 crew. 

In a demonstration of Abramovich’s penchant for secrecy and security, it also has an anti-paparazzi system that uses lasers to disable camera lenses, a mini submarine that can be used for quick escapes, an armour-plated master suite and reportedly even a missile defence system.

And when the tycoon wants to travel by air, he does so in similarly luxurious fashion. His Boeing 767-33AER has been described as a “flying mansion”, with the aircraft featuring a gold-gilded banquet hall and, reportedly, the same anti-missile system used by Air Force One.

Artwork

Abramovich is known to have an interest in art and helped to fund the conversion of a former bus station in Moscow into The Garage Museum of Contemporary Art.

He emerged as a major player in art auctions in 2008 with his purchases of Francis Bacon’s Triptych, 1976, for $86.3m and Lucian Freud’s Benefits Supervisor Sleeping, 1995, for $33.6m. 

The purchases made history, with the Bacon sale the highest price paid for a post-war work of art at the time and the Freud piece the highest paid for a living artist, according to The Art Newspaper. 

Cars

The fleet of cars owned by Abramovich is just as flashy, with a total estimated value of £16m, the Sun reported.

His vehicles include a £2.5m Pagani Zonda R, a £1.7m Porsche 911 GT1 Evo, a £1.6m Ferrari FXX, a £1.5m Bugatti Veyron and a £1.2m Aston Martin Vulcan, among others.