Millionaires who left to live in the countryside. German Sterligov. All to the village. The boar is stroked while it is full

Childhood and adolescence of German Sterligov

Today, German Sterligov is known as an extravagant millionaire, capable of giving up his fortune at a moment and devoting himself to agriculture, and then also unexpectedly returning to his former business. However, the childhood years of Sterligov, the heir to a noble family, were not at all in an atmosphere of wealth and idleness.

When German was 5 years old, his family moved to Moscow, where the boy went to study at a specialized school with an English bias. After leaving school, he was drafted into the ranks of the Soviet army. Sterligov recalls the army years with nostalgia, considering the service as a good school of life, bringing up a real male character.

Having repaid his debt to the Motherland, Herman returned to the capital and worked as a turner at an automobile plant for about a year. The next year he devoted to studying at the law faculty of Moscow State University, from where he was forced to leave after a conflict with one of the teachers.

The beginning of the career of businessman German Sterligov

Failure did not break the young man, who was not used to sitting idly by. Then Herman Sterligov decided to organize a cooperative called "Pulsar". The organization was called upon to provide legal services to the population.

In 1990 Sterligov became the founder of the country's first commodity and raw materials exchange "Alisa". The project turned out to be so successful that by 1993 Alisa had turned into a large holding company with 84 subsidiaries both in Russia and abroad. With the capital earned, Sterligov acquired shares in various organizations, sawmills and fish factories.

One of the first Russian multimillionaires, in 1991 German Sterligov headed the Russian Club of Young Millionaires, whose activities were aimed at improving the Ryazan region, but the announced improvement work was not carried out, which is why all the activities of the organization gradually came to naught.

German Sterligov in politics

German Sterligov approached active participation in big politics slowly and in small steps. In 1992, he visited Chechnya with the prospect of representing its interests on the world stage. In 1996 he became the leader of the Moscow nobility.

In 2002, German Sterligov became a candidate for governor of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. A year later, he put forward his candidacy for the post of mayor of Moscow. He was supported by members of the public movement against illegal immigration, whose ranks he joined shortly before his nomination. Despite the unfolding election campaign and all attempts to attract the maximum number of like-minded people to his side, Sterligov lost the election, taking third place and receiving 3.65% of the vote.

German Sterligov: We are bred as suckers

2004 is the year of the next presidential elections, in which the gaining popularity politician simply could not help but take part. The election campaign has literally become an expensive pleasure for Sterligov. The need to repay numerous loans led to the fact that the house on Rublevka was sold, and the Sterligov family was forced to move to the Mozhaisky district of the Moscow region.

Personal life of German Sterligov

At first, life in new, unusual, and sometimes completely unsuitable conditions was not easy for members of the Sterligov family. Four small children, the eldest of whom, Pelageya, was at that time only 12 years old, her pregnant wife was forced to live in an army tent. Until the construction of the country house was completed. However, the way back was impossible and the former socialite of the 90s Alena Sterligova became the real wife of the Decembrist, who did not leave her husband in a difficult life situation.


Today the old hardships are over, the Sterligovs live in a cozy hut. They are engaged in agriculture, and they consider children to be their main wealth. The Sterligovs' daughter and four sons received a good education at home. They did not go to school, but a hired teacher came to their house to give private lessons.

Herman did not allow his eldest daughter to enter the university, since he does not see the vocation of a woman in making money. Now Pelageya is happily married and gave her parents two granddaughters.

The return of German Sterligov to business

In 2008, German Sterligov gave up his reclusive lifestyle. In Moscow, he founded the Anti-Crisis Commodity Clearing Center, which was a commodity exchange. Today the center has ceased to exist.

Sterligov. Bread 450 rubles ???

In 2009 Sterligov created his own payment unit - "Golden", which he offered as a means of payment all over the world.

German Sterligov today

Now German Sterligov calls himself one of the poorest people in Russia, which does not prevent him from traveling and staying in expensive and comfortable apartments and donating money to improve the ecology of Russia. What's the secret? According to Sterligov, a subsidiary farm, baking natural bread and selling it are all sources of income for the family. Despite the fact that his fortune decreased dozens of times, German Sterligov felt himself only now as a truly rich man living a full life.

04.12.2018 |

Despite the success, large fees and popularity, many Russian celebrities give up life in the metropolis and leave for the provinces. Each artist has his own reasons for this, but they all share one goal - to start living from scratch.

Actress Irina Pechernikova: a farm in the Yaroslavl region

Irina Pechernikova left for the Yaroslavl region

Actress Irina Pechernikova, familiar to the viewer from the films "Two Captains" and "We'll Live Until Monday," settled in an abandoned farm in the Yaroslavl Region. After a series of failures in work and personal life, the death of her beloved spouse, the artist lives alone 200 km from the capital. A woman is engaged in a vegetable garden, rarely communicates with journalists.

Actor Alexander Mikhailov: Grebnevo village

Alexander Mikhailov moved to the village of Grebnevo

Actor Aleksandr Mikhailov, who played the role of Aleksey Fedyashev in Formula of Love, disappeared from the screens almost immediately after the film was released. Many said that he went abroad.

Alexander Mikhailov with his wife in the village

In fact, Mikhailov in 1987 moved to the village of Grebnevo, Moscow Region, together with his wife. Now he completely devotes himself to church work and sings in the choir.

Singer Olga Kormukhina: a village house on an island

Olga Kormukhina lives on the island of Zalit

The star of the 80s Olga Kormukhina leads a secluded lifestyle far from the bustle of the capital. The rock singer settled on the island of Zalit, located on the Pskov Lake.

Kormukhina with her husband and daughter in the courtyard of the house

In the past few years, the artist has increasingly appeared in the capital, but in the summer she always leaves to rest in her country house. The woman attends the local church, enjoys the beautiful scenery of the lakes.

Businessman German Sterligov: Sterligovs' settlement

German Sterligov lives in his settlement

The Soviet millionaire, the owner of the Alisa stock exchanges, German Sterligov, lives with his family in the Mozhaisk region.

The life of German Sterligov in the settlement

The oligarch calls his settlement the Sterligovs' settlement. There is a dense forest around the large house, and only a dirt road leads to the settlement.

German Sterligov on horseback

Herman is engaged in cattle breeding, hunting, travels to the nearest town on a tractor or on horseback.

Actor Pyotr Mamonov: a village in the Moscow region

Peter Mamonov left for the village

Theater and film actor, musician Pyotr Mamonov, known for his films "The Island" and "Tsar", rarely visits the capital. He lives in the Moscow region in a small village near the town of Vereya.

Mamonov leads a secluded life

The artist leads a secluded life, is fond of philosophy. He comes to Moscow once a month for rehearsals at the theater.

Actress Tatyana Agafonova: the village of Zalazino

Tatyana Agafonova moved to the village of Zalazino

Actress Tatyana Agafonova, known for her roles in such films as Petersburg Mysteries, Intergirl, moved to the village of Zalazino in the Tver Region at the end of the 90s.

Former actress runs agriculture

Despite the demand and popularity, the artist was constantly drawn to her native land, where she became the chairman of the collective farm.

Singer Anastasia: a village in the Tver region

Anastasia lives in the Tver region

Singer Anastasia with a bright hairstyle and strong voice was a real star of the 90s. In 1997, she suddenly disappeared from the scene. Journalists wrote that the girl lost her voice and went to live in Africa. However, Anastasia found her happiness in a small village in the Tver region. It was in such an environment that she managed to take a break from quarrels with relatives and numerous divorces.

"Dom-2" participant May Abrikosov: Korotoyak village

May Abrikosov moved to the village of Korotoyak

Roman Tertishny, known to fans of the Dom-2 project as May Abrikosov, was one of the brightest participants in the reality show. However, the career of the young man did not work out.

Rural life of a former star

He is the Voronezh region. Now he is engaged in a vegetable garden and shares pictures of his household on social networks.

DJ Pavel Korchagin: Khmelevka village

Pavel Korchagin became a priest

Pavel Korchagin is a former DJ who was one of the first to open a nightclub in the Altai Territory more than 10 years ago. Gradually, the business ceased to generate income due to the growing competition, the young man moved to the small village of Khmelevka and became a priest.

Korchagin's life in the village

Now Paul is restoring the temple of St. Sergius of Radonezh, is engaged in herbalism, and has his own YouTube channel.

Singer Svetlana Vladimirskaya: taiga village

Svetlana Vladimirskaya lives in a taiga village

Svetlana Vladimirskaya, the performer of the hit "My Boy", disappeared from the stage in 1995. The singer decided to live in the religious community of Vissarion. The decision was not spontaneous, the girl was preparing for this step.

Vladimirskaya's life in the provinces

In a taiga village located in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the singer gave birth to three children from her husband, but later met in the community with the artist Yevgeny Korniltsev and decided to divorce her husband. In a new marriage, Svetlana had another child.

Actor Alexey Fomkin: a village near Vladimir

Alexey Fomkin died in the province

After the main role in the film "Guest from the Future", Alexei Fomkin was predicted to be a great success. However, the artist did not receive offers from directors and decided to join the army. After completing his service, Fomkin tried himself in the theater again, but his attempts were unsuccessful. He went to a village near the city of Vladimir, where he met his future wife. Young people lived in the provinces until the terrible fire in 1996, in which Fomkin died.

Actress Olga Gobzeva: convent

Olga Gobzeva became abbess

Theater and film actress Olga Gobzeva took monastic vows a week before her 50th birthday. The decision came unexpectedly: at the rehearsal of the play, the actress felt that she had let in another person - the Spaniard, whom Gobzeva played on stage.

Olga Gobzeva's life in the monastery

Now the abbess lives in a convent in the city of Alapaevsk, she completely abandoned worldly life for the sake of spiritual peace.

Singer Masha Makarova: a village near Pskov

Masha Makarova spends time in the village

The soloist of the group "Masha and the Bears" at the peak of her fame in 1999 moved to a village near the city of Pskov. Masha Makarova, who was fond of illegal drugs at that time, decided to lead a secluded lifestyle. She did not communicate with journalists for a long time, she kept house, looked after the cow. In 2006, the singer reappeared in the capital, releasing a new album.

Singer Julia Matveeva: Mother Euphrosinia

Julia Matveeva went to the monastery

Former singer Yulia Matveeva began her career in the capital at the age of 15. After 2 years, she was preparing for a tour of European countries, but unexpectedly decided to go to a monastery.

Mother Euphrosinia

For many years, Julia lived in the Russian outback, and later moved to Israel.

Singer Lolita: Bulgarian village

Lolita moved to a Bulgarian village

On her 55th birthday, Lolita Milyavskaya announced that she was moving from an apartment in the capital to a small Bulgarian village. According to the woman, she has long wanted peace and quiet.

Lolita's house in a Bulgarian village

Together with her husband, she lives in a beautiful, but small house, which she calls "the new ark." Lolita has developed housing design with her husband Dmitry for a long time, and the move took place in November 2018.

For many famous personalities, life in the provinces is a way to escape from the hustle and bustle of the big city. Some artists come to the village to relax and enjoy nature, while others choose a place remote from the capital for permanent residence.

Photo: kino-teatr.ru, 24smi.org, kulturologia.ru, youtube.com, starhit.ru

Image copyright RIA Novosti Image caption In 2007, Sterligov was detained by the Afghan security forces, but was soon released

Businessman German Sterligov left Russia, heading to Nagorno-Karabakh, the entrepreneur's lawyer told the BBC. Before leaving, Sterligov put up for sale his livestock and a fleet of vehicles.

Sterligov's name was recently mentioned in connection with the trial of the Fighting Organization of Russian Nationalists (BORN); as suggested by Sterligov's lawyer, because of this, he left Russia.

One of the first Russian millionaires, Sterligov turned to Orthodoxy of the old rite and in 2004 left Moscow with his family for the Mozhaisky District, where he ran a farm on the lands allocated to him.

"Selling urgently"

A few days ago, a photo of a wooden house in which Sterligov lived with his family in recent years appeared on the businessman's page on the VKontakte social network. The windows of the house in the photo were boarded up, and the caption to it read: "Fresh photos of Sloboda to the delight of the enemies of Russia. You rejoice early - the day will come and we will return. Glory to Jesus Christ! German Sterligov and sons." [Spelling and punctuation of the original retained].

Image copyright RIA Novosti Image caption According to BORN member Tikhonov, nationalists learned hand-to-hand combat on the lands of Sterligov

According to Sterligov's assistant Polina Sirota, the businessman had to leave the country on an emergency basis. "Serious circumstances forced him to leave. These are not bandits, no, this is a higher level," an assistant to the businessman said in an interview with the Russian News Service. According to her, Sterligov left for Nagorno-Karabakh.

Before leaving, the entrepreneur put up his livestock and vehicle fleet for sale. "We urgently sell a Peugeot Boxer with a mileage of 60 thousand km, a two-year-old, the largest in size, not beaten in perfect condition for 800 thousand rubles. You can pick up the car in the Sloboda of German Sterligov near Moscow and send the money to Unistream in Karabakh," the announcement on the businessman's page says. In contact with".

Sterligov’s assistant told the BBC that he left about three weeks ago: “I cannot say what caused his departure. I only know that this is a very serious matter.”

The BORN case

Sterligov's lawyer Artur Airapetov told the BBC that he maintains constant contact with the businessman and confirmed that he had left for Nagorno-Karabakh.

“As you know, Dmitry Lvovich was trying to get it for a long time. There were, among other things, conflicts with the Russian Orthodox Church, and now they are trying to slander him through the BORN process. For you to understand, German Sterligov was not involved in the BORN process as a witness or in what something else. Evgenia Khasis mentioned him in her testimony, that's all. "

Evgenia Khasis and Nikita Tikhonov, convicted of the double murder of lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova, act as witnesses at the trial of the alleged leader of the radical nationalists Ilya Goryachev, who

That Sterligov was supposed to speak at the trial, said Goryachev's lawyer Nikolai Polozov.

"Sterligov had to tell when and where he provided a place for the summer camp of the" Russian Image "and about the donated carcass of a ram", -

English millionaire who fled from London to our Petushki: I lost money in Russia, but found happiness

British coal and steel merchant John Kopiski is on the verge of bankruptcy in the Russian hinterland, but believes in its bright future

The former governor of the Perm Territory, Oleg Chirkunov, raised money in Russia, and now he has moved to the south of France forever, "there are no Russians there," Chirkunov rejoices. The country that enriched him was not dear to him.

And the British bourgeois John Kopiski fled from the vaunted European civilization to "wild" Russia 20 years ago. He learned the language, converted to Orthodoxy, married a Russian woman and began to farm.

The new homeland took Kopiski coldly: the Englishman thinks that he has gone broke, the locals dislike him, but he, an eccentric, still considers himself the happiest person. Why did our country turn out to be nice to the British?

The boar is stroked while he is fed

A tall old man with a beard of Lev Tolstoy, in a quilted jacket and jeans stained with mud, spanks on his property. They greet him respectfully - master!

We are on the outskirts of the village of Krutovo, near Petushki, Vladimir region. Here the Briton, who has seen the whole world, "threw the dice".

Here are the elite horses. On them for the money ride tourists. We pass by scarecrows for Maslenitsa - they have been standing since last year, their hand has not risen to burn - we find ourselves in the "zoo". Kopiski lets the geese out of the enclosure, and these cheerful guys start running around in circles, shouting like schoolchildren. But it is better not to let this beast out! And he won't come out: the black boar has just eaten, Kopiski is stroking his neck, the boar is humming and tossing and turning like a cat.

What a farm this is! Solid attraction. This is the kind of agriculture in Russia now, the Englishman throws up his hands: real production is at a loss, it feeds only agritourism.

JOHN THE UNSILLABLE

Actually, John planned to become a normal farmer. A gothic tower remained from those dreams. Before John, there was a collapsed collective farm, and silage was stored in the tower. An Englishman rebuilt it into an artifact from a horror movie. He decorated the facade with boulders, set up a panoramic office upstairs and wanted to, sitting behind the glass, survey the farm and give commands to the milkmaids and cattlemen over the megaphone. Yes, only I had all this romance on the side.

Kopiski's story proves that it is impossible to conduct a normal agriculture in Russia. If John had been a loser, who haunted the offices of district chiefs and whined, extorting money, blackmailing, as usual, "the threat of a social explosion", there would be nothing to write about him. But John started a business. Done. And yet he lost to the circumstances. But even in such a situation, he dodged, took up tourism. Unsinkable.

GREAT COCKNESSES, AND SOMEONE TO WORK

The first thing that knocked the native of Albion down was the staff. There seems to be a large settlement nearby - Petushki.

There are 15 thousand people there, - explains John. - A third of them are pensioners, 5 thousand every day get on the train and go to work in Moscow, the rest are drunk.

Erofeev's characters offended cows, wallowed in the manure and staged demonstrations outside John's office:

Give me the money!

That is why the dairy farm, which nevertheless temporarily introduced John to the number of agricultural magnates, had to be built farther from the Petushki, near the village of Christmas. And to hire there, including migrants. In 2007, the Minister of Agriculture Alexei Gordeev came there to take a look at the Englishman. And I am with him. Gordeev was amazed at the order and promised all kinds of help. That was the end of the love of officials.

A YEAR WITHOUT SWEET

The second step for the farmer was excommunicated from state support.

Farmers receive a subsidy to pay off bank loans. But this year, for the first time, there will be no subsidies, John was "happy", the financial tap was turned off at least until the beginning of 2015.

Well, what about John? I hired a man named Grant Zozulinsky, who introduced himself as the best specialist in cutting marbled meat in the country. I built a mini-factory for him, where steaks are made from carcasses. Sell ​​the product to expensive restaurants. Grant hugs the carcass hanging from the hook like a female lover:

This one was killed with stress, and look what a difference in the color of the meat, sheer adrenaline!

Stress-free is when a cow is shot in the cerebellum with a special iron cartridge. Adrenaline does not spill into the blood and does not spoil the taste that gourmets, fans of humane, ecological food so appreciate.

Without a subsidy, John, of course, will not pay off neither Zozulinsky with his special precision knives for cutting, nor a mini-factory, but he cannot sit idly by.

FLYING OVER THE FINANCIAL PIT

Well, the last "knife" is the WTO. As Russia joined this organization in the summer of 2012, things went downhill, says John.

In addition, prices are going up - for fuel, electricity, water ... True, the wholesale prices for milk have also increased recently, but what is there to be happy about? The farmers are being pressed, they have cut the cows, milk is low, so it has risen in price. However, guys, the borders are open, Ve-Te-O! So good prices for our products are short-lived. You will drink Brazilian milk, powder, and praise. So far, imports are constrained by a weak ruble, John explains, it is expensive to bring milk powder into the country. But the market will get used to this rate in a few months.

John is still trying to sell the dairy farm in the village of Christmas, only to keep tourism for himself. Nobody buys.


Photo: Evgeny ARSYUKHIN

NOBLE NEST

But he will not return to England. In general, the last link with Europe was broken, a villa in Spain was sold. And from an old collective farm hotel, John built himself a "noble estate." The pot-bellied columns have not yet been painted to the taste of the 18th century, but inside there are already parquet floors, antique furniture, intricate art deco lamps and paintings by the masters of socialist realism.

John, what an eccentricity? Why do you need a villa in the style of the Golovlevs?

The Englishman sits at a massive table, reminiscent at the same time of Leo Tolstoy, Academician Pavlov and the Russian landowner of the century before last. To answer my question, John takes off his round glasses. Rubs it. He will now tell me that money is generally not the main thing and Spain with its sun and sea would go farther. But I do not know this yet and am getting ready to listen to the next business plan.

Only the Lord knows how much I have left, - he begins slowly and talks about children, he has five of them.

The elder cannot be accustomed to the earth, the "lost generation", and the younger one will gladly take the place of his father. And here's an inheritance for him, here's an estate. "The estate" is not only a private house, but also a hotel, for 3 thousand rubles. lodged and fed. True, in order to recoup the construction site, you would need to take 25 thousand per night. It is difficult, however, to find a tourist for such a price tag! So the "master's estate" will never pay off. But John doesn't see the disaster:

If only real money was constantly flowing. Then we will hold out.

UNION OF STALINISTS AND SOCIALIST

When I was walking around the house, I noticed a poster - the speech of Comrade Stalin's "On the Russian people." Somehow I am ashamed to ask: they say, are you a Stalinist?

And at dinner everything turned out. A classic English dinner, hazel grouses were served (you should know how to eat them), and only the Klyazma River outside the window returns to Russia.

Yes, I am a Stalinist, - John's wife Nina simply said, having crossed her plate beforehand. - Why don't you like Stalin's speech on our poster?

I said diplomatically that it was this speech, perhaps, that nothing. The fact that the cross and Stalin merged was somehow not even surprised. Further at the table, memories struck, Nina praised the Soviet past. “Yes, we need Gosplan,” John assented, and then drew a line:

The USSR was a great country.

EH, WE ARE NOT SWITZERLAND

John was baptized into Orthodoxy back in the 90s. He does not baptize his food, but builds temples: a wooden church is visible from the window of the estate. To her the road leads along a wet floodplain, in the spring there is mud, but John put a bridge there, covered, like in Switzerland. But here's the bad luck: Russia is not Switzerland, the locals stubbornly stole the wire that went along the roof of the bridge to keep the lights on. So the bridge is dark. Thieves were caught, shamed, but the villagers themselves are not united in their assessment of Kopiski, so it did not work out to shame the thieves fully.

There are more than enough envious people, - says the villager, John's supporter, wielding the keys to the temple, the tight lock does not immediately give in. - Many people say, why did he come? Let it get tired.

NOT TO BE COMPARED WITH ENGLAND

And in the village of Krutovo, meanwhile, such things. The local authorities built a House of Culture, but as funny as the castle of a Mexican drug lord. The inside is empty and stupid. John bought a school building at the beginning of the twentieth century. And he arranged a hostel there for schoolchildren. Horse riding, fishing, archeology, Orthodox education and English lessons from John himself. In the summer, the hostel has already received the children. The idea is still unprofitable. What for?

The problem for Russia is this, says John. - Everyone is sure that it will be bad. Nobody believes in the future. But with such negativity in your head, you can't drive. Well, how to make people believe? This is how I do, I invite children. They have fun here. They see not the dirt of the metropolis, but beautiful animals.

John shows me a school collection of minerals, chemicals:

What a high level of education was in the USSR! Compare with England!

THEIR DOSSIER "KP"

John COPISK was born in London, left the country at 23. Worked as a representative of Coutinho Caro & Co (steel trading) in Pakistan, Bangladesh, South Africa. Then - the director of the coal company Balli Trading London. In 1992 he moved to Russia, opened the Michurinsk-Ugol company, traded on the stock exchange, got married, converted to Orthodoxy. In 1999 he goes into the agricultural business. His dairy farm "Rozhdestvo" was the leader in the Vladimir region for nine years.

OFFICIALLY

Director of the Livestock Department of the Ministry of Agriculture Vladimir LABINOV:

There is money for the village

We asked the USDA where the subsidies went this year and why John could not get help raising his bulls. Here's what they answered:

I cannot confirm that there will be no subsidies until the first quarter of 2015. By this time, the Ministry of Agriculture must pay off all its obligations to support investment loans. Perhaps we will be in time earlier. There is money for both 2014 and 2015. But we are not highlighting them yet. The reason is unsatisfactory administration in the selection of investment projects during the work of the previous team of the Ministry of Agriculture. The selection of projects was carried out without taking into account the possibilities of the federal budget. Now the Ministry of Agriculture has audited the projects. And we will solve the problem.

As for subsidies for the production of bull calves on a dairy farm, then really support under the state program can be obtained only when it comes to beef cattle. And for a dairy farm, meat is a by-product. Milk accounts for more than 80% of the revenue. A cow on a farm has a 50% chance of bringing a bull in litter. You don't need to make any special efforts to get this “by-product”, so no subsidies are given.

Banwarlal Doshi, founder of DR International

In early June 2015, the name of one of the richest people in India, Banwarlal Doshi, did not leave the pages of newspapers. The founder of the plastic company DR International, whose clients include Samsung and LG, who managed to make a fortune of $ 600 million, gave up wealth to become a Jain initiate and become a monk of the order. In addition to the fact that the "Plastic King" had to part with money and real estate for this, the former businessman also took a vow of celibacy.

Dosha already has three children who did not approve of his father's decision to become a monk. They said that Doshi had been hatching this desire for more than one year. Now the former millionaire has to give up even such familiar things as shoes and a cell phone. Doshi should walk barefoot in order not to harm any living beings, including insects, as Jainism preaches. Yesterday's entrepreneur will only wear white clothes and will also get up at 4 a.m. to devote several hours to yoga and meditation. Dosha's head was shaved during the ordination ceremony, which was attended by one and a half hundred people.

John Kopiski, ex-head of the Balli Trading London coal company and founder of the Bogdarnya farm in the Vladimir region

In the spring of 2015, farmer John Kopiski "spotted" during a direct line with President Vladimir Putin. He asked the head of state whether he believed the statistics that were provided to him, and also discussed milk yield.

Now John Kopiski owns a farm in the Vladimir region, which has signed contracts with Wimm-Bill-Dann and Danone. But it was not always so. Until the early nineties, Kopiski had never been to Russia: he was the head of a coal company in Britain. But, having arrived in 1991 on a business trip, he decided to stay in Russia and received Russian citizenship.

In the Vladimir region, Kopiski, together with his Russian wife Nina, founded the Bogdarnya farm, the name of which means "God's gift", and then the Christmas dairy complex. To date, the Anglo-Russian entrepreneur's farm has 3,700 head of cattle. In addition to supplying milk, Kopiski raises beef calves, from which premium meat is obtained, and produces cheeses.

The farmer, whose wife flaunts in homespun sundresses, explains his love for Russia with his father's Slavic soul and Polish roots. True, Kopiski does not exclude that he will sell his farm. In May last year, in an interview with Snob magazine, Kopiski estimated his farm at 3 billion rubles. One of the reasons an entrepreneur may part with his business is the reluctance of his children to engage in agriculture.

Karl Rabeder, founder of the non-profit company MyMicroCredit

Austrian Karl Rabeder earned his first million at the age of 32. And at the age of 47 he decided to part with his entire fortune. At first, the millionaire sold all the property. A house in the Alps went for £ 1.4 million, a villa in Provence for £ 613,000, a collection of six gliders for £ 350,000, and an Audi A8 for £ 44,000.

After that, Rabeder founded the non-profit organization MyMicroCredit, to whose account he transferred all the proceeds. The former businessman's company is involved in charity work and helps the poor in Latin America and Africa. Rabeder himself bought a tiny house, and earns his living by lecturing "How much money is needed to be happy." The former millionaire claims that by implementing the slogan "nothing should remain, absolutely nothing", he became happy and free.

Not only the accumulated fortune, but his spouse left Rabeder's past life. She did not share her husband's desire to donate everything to charity and left him.

John Pedley, former owner of telecommunications companies Empowered Communications and Eme Tech

The life of British millionaire John Pedley was all sorts of things. He was in prison, was an alcoholic and even spent six weeks in a coma after a car accident in which he fell asleep drunk while driving. After a difficult recovery, Pedley decided to change his life.

He turned to religion and took up charity work. The businessman put up for sale his telecommunications business, as well as an old mansion in Essex for a million pounds. Pedley invested the proceeds in the Uganda Vision Foundation. The organization is sending troubled British teenagers to Uganda and other African countries to help local orphans whose parents have died due to illness or poverty. Pedley himself also went to Uganda, where he became a volunteer.

Janusz River, ex-producer and football manager

Janusz Rivera is no stranger to drastic changes. He changed his country of residence, religion and names several times. Under the last pseudonym - Janusz River - he became famous in Italy, where he earned millions as an impresario. He brought such Italian pop stars to Russia as Toto Cutugno and Adriano Celentano, arranged football matches and a meeting between the Polish national team and the Pope. And in 1999, River suddenly gave up his wealth and decided to travel the world - inexpensively and comfortably, and spending only three dollars a day.

The millionaire left his home near Rome, put his savings in the bank and signed an agreement, according to which a modest $ 100 will be transferred to him monthly. On the road, River took only a bicycle and a backpack. So for 15 years, the eccentric traveler has traveled more than 150 countries of the world.

Now Rivera is about eighty, but he is not going to return to a settled life, even though he was captured and attacked by snakes. He wants to die on the road. River had already decided what to do with his condition. After his death, inmates of Russian and Belarusian orphanages will receive his money.

Millard Fuller, founder of the non-profit organization Habitat for Humanity International

Millard Fuller became rich before he was 30. However, wealth cost him dearly: after the businessman became a millionaire, his wife left him. Fuller convinced her to return, and together the couple decided to leave the successful business. They sold all of the property and in 1965 moved to the Koinonia farm in Georgia. And three years later, Millard and Linda Fuller began building simple and affordable homes for the poor, who could also take part in the construction of their future housing. Wanting to expand the boundaries of their assistance, the Fullers traveled to Zaire, and after returning from there in 1976, they founded the non-profit organization Habitat for Humanity. In 1984, former US President Jimmy Carter, who was a big fan of Fuller, took part in a charity event of the foundation, after which interest in Habitat for Humanity grew even more.

In 2014, Forbes ranked the foundation, whose founder passed away in February 2009, 16th on the list of America's 50 largest charities. Habitat for Humanity has offices around the world and more than 300,000 homes built around the world.

German Sterligov, entrepreneur, candidate for mayor of Moscow in 2003

German Sterligov is one of the first Russian millionaires. In the early nineties, he founded the Alice commodity exchange named after his beloved dog, with which he eventually went bankrupt. Then there were a dozen more business initiatives, and in the 2000s Sterligov went into politics. He ran for governor of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, then for mayor of Moscow, and even wanted to be nominated for the post of President of Russia, but did not pass registration.

After that, he decided to change Moscow to a village without electricity and roads, took up agriculture and animal husbandry, and on his business cards began to write "German Sterligov, sheep breeder, goose breeder, rabbit breeder." His family went with him. Sterligov decided to raise his five children at home according to the gospel covenants, and not in a general education school.

In 2015, the family of the former millionaire was waiting for another move. This time the Sterligovs moved to Nagorno-Karabakh. According to the businessman's lawyer, Sterligov decided to build Sloboda-2 in Transcaucasia. He founded the first in 2008 and then invited Christians to move to his lands. At a press conference held in the Karabakh city of Shusha, Sterligov said: “I have nothing to do with the cases that are sewn to me in Russia. I was warned that the convicted nationalists Nikita Tikhonov and Yevgenia Khasis testified that they, and whoever else was there, had undergone combat training with me in Sloboda. I declare with full responsibility that nothing like this happened and could not be. " German Sterligov's wife in Nagorno-Karabakh also found a business for herself. She is setting up a model house and will soon be hosting a fashion show in the mountains.

Liu Jingchong, ex-CEO of a textile company

Another millionaire who traded the benefits of civilization for life in a hut in the Zhongnan mountains is the Chinese Liu Jingchong. He earned his fortune before the age of 40, and even received the nickname "Textile Baron" from the New York Post.

That all changed after Jingchong had a car accident. He was not seriously injured, but while his friends were being helped and all together they were waiting for a new car to continue their journey, Jingchong read a book about Buddhism in a hotel room. The businessman was so imbued with the philosophy of the doctrine, which sees the cause of human suffering in material wealth, that after a while he sold all real estate and cars, retired and moved to a modest hut in the mountains. Now Jingchong spends time reading books and enjoys receiving guests.

Charles Feeney, Founder of the Duty Free Network

The founder of the Duty Free chain of shops, Charles Feeney, is called one of the greatest philanthropists of our time, who parted with his capital during his lifetime. In the late 80s, Forbes included the businessman in the list of the richest people in the world, however, as it turned out, by that time most of the wealth did not belong to him.

In 1982, Feeney created the Atlantic Philanthropies, in which he invested in his businesses. Since then, the entrepreneur has been systematically moving towards spending all his money on good deeds. The Feeney Foundation provides money for health care, elderly care, education, civil rights, and more around the world. From 1982 to the present, The Atlantic Philanthropies has issued grants totaling $ 6.5 billion.By 2016, Feeney intends to bring the figure to $ 7.5 billion.

During the first 15 years, until the millionaire was declassified by journalists, he was engaged in charity work absolutely anonymously. His foundation is registered in Bermuda, the legislation of which does not require the disclosure of information about the owners of private foundations. Feeney himself leads the humble lifestyle of an American pensioner. He doesn't own a home, uses public transport and wears a $ 15 watch.

Graham Pendrill, antique dealer

British millionaire Graham Pendrill, who made a fortune in the antiques trade, decided to change his life dramatically after a trip to Africa in 2004. From there, the businessman returned with the title of Elder of the Maasai tribe.

To pass the rite of passage, Pendrill had to drink buffalo urine and be present at the sacrifice of a cow. Back in England, the newly minted member of the African tribe even came to business meetings and in pubs in Masai attire. And then he decided to sell his twelve-bedroom mansion in order to move to Kenya for permanent residence.

Most likely, it would have happened. But unexpectedly, the tribal elders protested against Pendrill's actions. “Why should this white man, who seemed to us rich, have to sell everything and move to live here? There is no water here, it is very hot and dusty. I'm not sure that he will be happy among us, ”one of the residents of the village of the Maasai tribe expressed his fears. As a result, Pendrill had to abandon the sale of his house for 1.2 million sterling and stay in the UK.

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