Leonid Fedun
A Soviet army officer turned oil magnate who helped build Lukoil into a giant and later poured his passion into a legendary Moscow football club.
Born 1956 (age 70)·Russian billionaire businessman·Birthday: April 5·Baby Boomers
Biography
Leonid Fedun's path to billions began not in a boardroom but in the Soviet military, where he served as a lecturer in political economy. His life pivoted after meeting Vagit Alekperov; together, they navigated the chaotic privatization of Russia's oil industry in the early 1990s to co-found Lukoil. Fedun became the strategic and financial brain behind the scenes, serving as vice-president and a major shareholder as the company grew into a global powerhouse. With wealth secured, he turned to a lifelong passion: football. He took control of the historic but struggling FC Spartak Moscow, investing heavily in its infrastructure and youth academy, and presiding over a period of renewed competitiveness. In 2022, he sold his Spartak shares and retired from Lukoil, stepping back from the public eye as an architect of post-Soviet capitalism.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Leonid was born in 1956, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Leonid Was Born
The biggest hits of 1956
#1 Movie
The Ten Commandments
Best Picture
Around the World in 80 Days
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Leonid's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1956Born
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1961Started school
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1969Became a teenager
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Could drive
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1974Could vote
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Turned 21
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1986Turned 30
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 40
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 50
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 60
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 70
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-founded Lukoil, which became Russia's largest privately-owned oil company.
- Served as the long-term Vice President for Strategic Development at Lukoil.
- Owned and served as president of FC Spartak Moscow, modernizing the club's facilities and management.
- Authored several books on corporate management and political economy.
Did You Know?
He holds a doctorate in political science and was a senior lecturer at the Military Academy of the Soviet Army.
Fedun was the second-largest shareholder in Lukoil after Vagit Alekperov.
He oversaw the construction of Spartak Moscow's own stadium, the Otkritie Bank Arena, which opened in 2014.
“In business, you must see the field from the helicopter, not from the trench.”
