A Russian billionaire, a member of the board of the Russian Union of Industrialists and entrepreneurs. He got rich due to state-owned assets in the 1990s, and was the director general of Gasprominvestholding, a founder of USM Holdings, which unites metallurgical and mining enterprises as well as companies in the spheres of technologies and communications. The holding includes Udokan Copper, a mining and metallurgical company, and Megaphone, one of the leading Russian telecommunication companies. Also, USM was a shareholder of VK (earlier Mail.ru Group), a leading company in the Russian Internet market. He is regularly awarded by Vladimir Putin. 

He presented a house $50 million worth as a gift to the foundation of Sotsgosproect of Ilya Yeliseev, a group mate of the ex-president of Russia Dmitri Medvedev. It is thought of as a bribe to a crony of Putin.

He is number 7 on the Russian Forbes 2021 list.

In the context of Russia-Ukrainian war, Mr. Usmanov is of opinion that “any conflict must end in peace and, what is more important, without victims,” though he does not plan to get involved in politics or accuse the Russian regime.