As tribute to Roman Abramovich winning his $6bn case in London, here he is with his mean looking body guards.
Text below from Russia Mania:
Roman Abramovich has boosted his security staff to create a 40-strong “private army”, making him one of the best-protected tycoons in the world.
According to security sources, the owner of Chelsea football club now has about 20 bodyguards in Britain. A similar number are employed to protect him for jaunts in his yachts, trips to Russia and stays in his overseas properties.
The squad – estimated to cost about £1.2m a year – is about eight times the size of the typical security teams used by businessmen and celebrities. Abramovich, worth £10.8 billion, is said to have wanted better protection because of increasing concerns about the risk of kidnap.
Mark Skipp, a former SAS officer, oversees Abramovich’s protection and recently hired a new City security firm, Fusion. Like many of the super-rich, Abramovich, who split from his wife Irina this year, is said to enjoy the cachet of being protected by former SAS soldiers. “He loves having them around and does not mind that they charge a premium,” said a source close to the Chelsea owner.