Mr Deripaska was once the richest man in Russia and is now reported to be the country's 14th-wealthiest individual.

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But somewhere in the thick of it was Boris Berezovsky, reputedly the richest man in Russia, who cast himself afterwards as Mr Chubais's nemesis.

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In 2003-2005, when the wealthiest man in Russia and one of the richest people in the world, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, decided to get involved into politics, he got sent down on charges of embezzlement and tax evasion instead, and locked up for nine years.

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