Editing Vagit Alekperov (section)

==Biography==
Alekperov was born on 1 September 1950, in [[Baku]], [[Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic|Azerbaijan SSR]], one of the earliest centers of the international petroleum industry. His father, who died when Vagit was a boy, worked in the oilfields all his life and inspired Alekperov to follow in his footsteps. Alekperov's father was an [[Azerbaijanis|Azerbaijani]] Muslim and his mother, [[Russian Orthodox]]. Alekperov is religious, but does not define himself as either Muslim or Orthodox.<ref name=petermaass.com>{{cite news|last=Maass|first=Peter|title=The Triumph of the Quiet Tycoon|url=http://www.petermaass.com/articles/the_triumph_of_the_quiet_tycoon/|access-date=3 February 2014|newspaper=[[The New York Times Magazine]]|date=2 August 2004|archive-date=2 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202113305/http://www.petermaass.com/articles/the_triumph_of_the_quiet_tycoon/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1974, Alekperov graduated from the [[Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University|Azerbaijan Oil and Chemistry Institute]] with a [[Master of Science in Engineering]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Vassiliou |first=Marius S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BdNjTbcB__0C&dq=Kogalym+Neftegaz+alekperov+1987&pg=PA33 |title=The A to Z of the Petroleum Industry |date=24 September 2009 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-7066-6 |language=en}}</ref>

=== Western Siberia ===
Alekperov moved to Western [[Siberia]] in 1979 and worked at ''[[Surgutneftegas|Surgutneftegaz]]'' between 1979 and 1985, earning his reputation as an industry expert. He was ascending positions and by 1985 became first deputy general director of [[Bashneft]] production company. In 1987, he became general director of the newly created production company ''Kogalymneftegaz''.<ref name=":3" />

=== Moscow ===
In 1990, Alekperov was appointed deputy minister of the Oil and Gas Industry of the [[Soviet Union]] and became the youngest deputy energy minister in Soviet history.<ref name=":3" /> At that time, Alekperov promoted the establishment of vertically integrated state-owned energy companies, which would bring together the wide range of organizations in the energy sector that were, at the time, reporting to different Soviet bureaucratic institutions.<ref>{{cite web|title=Vagit Y. Alekperov 1950— Biography|url=http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/biography/A-E/Alekperov-Vagit-Y-1950.html}}</ref>

Just at this time Western oil companies began to actively look for partners in Russia. During a visit to [[BP|British Petroleum]] facilities in the [[United Kingdom]] in 1990 Alekperov personally headed the Russian delegation at the negotiations. Rondo Fehlberg, an executive at BP, told [[The New York Times|NY Times]] that Alekperov took control of the agenda during that 1990 trip, sternly asking the BP executives to explain how a modern oil company should be set up.<ref name="Maass">{{Cite news|last=Maass|first=Peter|date=1 August 2004|title=The Triumph of the Quiet Tycoon|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/01/magazine/the-triumph-of-the-quiet-tycoon.html|access-date=20 November 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

=== LUKoil ===
In April 1993, Langepas-Uray-Kogalymneft became the joint-stock company LUKOIL, and Alekperov became its president and chairman of the board. By 2002 Alekperov owned 10.4% of the company.<ref name="Maass"/>

In 2000, Alekperov resigned as head of the board of directors of Lukoil, but retained his position as president of the company. In May 2008, Alekperov bought 11.13 million shares (1.3%) in Lukoil, thereby increasing his stake to 20.4% and becoming the company's largest shareholder.<ref>{{Cite web|date=12 March 2009|title=Бизнес-активы Вагита Алекперова. Справка|url=https://ria.ru/20090312/164612679.html|access-date=20 November 2021|website=РИА Новости|language=ru}}</ref>{{efn|During at least three meetings in Turkey and London in 2014 and 2015, executives associated with Alekperov's firm Lukoil allegedly questioned persons at the [[Alexander Nix]] associated firms [[SCL Group]], which is closely associated with [[Aleksandr Kogan (scientist)|Aleksandr Kogan]], and [[Cambridge Analytica]], which is closely associated with [[Steve Bannon]], who supported [[Donald Trump]]'s 2016 campaign for President of the United States, and [[Robert Mercer]], who supported [[Ted Cruz]]'s campaign for President of the United States, about how United States election data about American voters could be used to target them according to [[Christopher Wylie]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hakim |first1=Danny |last2=Rosenberg |first2=Matthew |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/17/us/politics/cambridge-analytica-russia.html |title=Data Firm Tied to Trump Campaign Talked Business With Russians |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=17 March 2018 |access-date=16 December 2023 |archive-date=18 March 2018 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20180318013153/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/17/us/politics/cambridge-analytica-russia.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://meduza.io/feature/2018/03/19/cambridge-analytica-kompaniya-kotoraya-nauchilas-vzlamyvat-vybory-cherez-facebook |title=Cambridge Analytica: компания, которая научилась «взламывать» выборы через Facebook Считается, что в 2016 году она помогла выиграть Дональду Трампу |trans-title=Cambridge Analytica: the company that learned how to “hack” elections through Facebook It is believed that it helped Donald Trump win in 2016 |language=ru |work=[[Meduza]] |date=19 March 2018 |access-date=16 December 2023}} [https://www.compromat.ru/page_38941.htm archive]</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Cadwalladr |first1=Carole |last2=Graham-Harrison |first2=Emma |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/mar/17/cambridge-analytica-facebook-influence-us-election |title=Revealed: 50 million Facebook profiles harvested for Cambridge Analytica in major data breach: Whistleblower describes how firm linked to former Trump adviser Steve Bannon compiled user data to target American voters |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=17 March 2018 |access-date=16 December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Бенюмов |first1=Константин (Benyumov, Konstantin) |last2=Кузьменкова |first2=Ольга (Kuzmenkova, Olga) |url=https://meduza.io/feature/2016/12/12/donald-tramp-pravda-pobedil-iz-za-reklamy-v-feysbuke |title=Donald Trump really won because of advertising on Facebook? Medusa studied an article about the influence of "big data" on elections and tells what's wrong with it |trans-title=Дональд Трамп правда победил из-за рекламы в фейсбуке? «Медуза» изучила статью о влиянии «больших данных» на выборы и рассказывает, что с ней не так |language=ru |work=[[Meduza]] |date=12 December 2016 |access-date=16 December 2023}}</ref>}}

''LUKoil'' was the first Russian company to acquire an American company. In November 2000, ''LUKoil'' acquired [[Getty Oil|Getty Petroleum Marketing]] and its 1,300 gas stations in the United States<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.lukoilamericas.com/rebranding.htm |title=Lukoil Americas Corporation website |access-date=12 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070315211511/http://www.lukoilamericas.com/rebranding.htm |archive-date=15 March 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Like many other [[Russian oligarchs]], Alekperov has also moved into banking and media. In May 2006 Alekperov was one of the two main owners of [[IFD Kapital Group]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Teagarden |first=Michael |title=Lukoil Executives Alekperov and Fedun Own Russia's IFD Kapital |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2006-03-01/lukoil-executives-alekperov-and-fedun-own-russia-s-ifd-kapital.html |access-date=11 April 2014 |agency=Bloomberg News |date=1 March 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413141839/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2006-03-01/lukoil-executives-alekperov-and-fedun-own-russia-s-ifd-kapital.html |archive-date=13 April 2014 }}</ref>

During at least three meetings in Turkey and London in 2014 and 2015, executives associated with Alekperov's firm Lukoil allegedly questioned persons at the [[Alexander Nix]] associated firms [[SCL Group]], which is closely associated with [[Aleksandr Kogan (scientist)|Aleksandr Kogan]], and [[Cambridge Analytica]], which is closely associated with [[Steve Bannon]], who supported [[Donald Trump]]'s 2016 campaign for President of the United States, and [[Robert Mercer]], who supported [[Ted Cruz]]'s campaign for President of the United States, about how United States election data about American voters could be used to target them according to [[Christopher Wylie]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hakim |first1=Danny |last2=Rosenberg |first2=Matthew |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/17/us/politics/cambridge-analytica-russia.html |title=Data Firm Tied to Trump Campaign Talked Business With Russians |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=17 March 2018 |access-date=16 December 2023 |archive-date=18 March 2018 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20180318013153/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/17/us/politics/cambridge-analytica-russia.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://meduza.io/feature/2018/03/19/cambridge-analytica-kompaniya-kotoraya-nauchilas-vzlamyvat-vybory-cherez-facebook |title=Cambridge Analytica: компания, которая научилась «взламывать» выборы через Facebook Считается, что в 2016 году она помогла выиграть Дональду Трампу |trans-title=Cambridge Analytica: the company that learned how to “hack” elections through Facebook It is believed that it helped Donald Trump win in 2016 |language=ru |work=[[Meduza]] |date=19 March 2018 |access-date=16 December 2023}} [https://www.compromat.ru/page_38941.htm archive]</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Cadwalladr |first1=Carole |last2=Graham-Harrison |first2=Emma |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/mar/17/cambridge-analytica-facebook-influence-us-election |title=Revealed: 50 million Facebook profiles harvested for Cambridge Analytica in major data breach: Whistleblower describes how firm linked to former Trump adviser Steve Bannon compiled user data to target American voters |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=17 March 2018 |access-date=16 December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Бенюмов |first1=Константин (Benyumov, Konstantin) |last2=Кузьменкова |first2=Ольга (Kuzmenkova, Olga) |url=https://meduza.io/feature/2016/12/12/donald-tramp-pravda-pobedil-iz-za-reklamy-v-feysbuke |title=Donald Trump really won because of advertising on Facebook? Medusa studied an article about the influence of “big data” on elections and tells what’s wrong with it |trans-title=Дональд Трамп правда победил из-за рекламы в фейсбуке? «Медуза» изучила статью о влиянии «больших данных» на выборы и рассказывает, что с ней не так |language=ru |work=[[Meduza]] |date=12 December 2016 |access-date=16 December 2023}}</ref>

In 2018, Alekperov first said in an interview that he was looking for a successor to his position, a staff reshuffle, he said, could take place at the company in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Глава ЛУКОЙЛа сообщил об изучении потенциальных преемников|url=https://www.rbc.ru/rbcfreenews/5db9bb7f9a79477a067582d1|access-date=18 June 2021|website=РБК|date=30 October 2019 |language=ru}}</ref>

Alekperov is on the 2017 list of Russian "oligarchs" named in the [[Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act|CAATSA]] unclassified report to the [[United States Congress|U.S. Congress]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Report to Congress Pursuant to Section 241 of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act of 2017 Regarding Senior Foreign Political Figures and Oligarchs in the Russian Federation and Russian Parastatal Entities|url=https://assets.bwbx.io/documents/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/rJRW6xrdtLJE/v0|date=29 January 2018|format=PDF}}</ref>

=== International sanctions ===
In April 2022, following [[Russian invasion of Ukraine|Russia's invasion of Ukraine]], Alekperov was sanctioned by [[Australia]] and the United Kingdom.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> On 21 April, Lukoil issued a statement saying that Alekperov had stepped down and resigned from the board of directors after 29 years.<ref name="resigns"/>

In May 2022, [[Canada]] also imposed sanctions on Alekperov.<ref name=":2" /> In October 2022, [[New Zealand]] sanctioned Alekperov.<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 October 2022 |title=New Zealand sanctions 75 individuals and 2 Russian companies |url=https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/83726/ |website=Interfax}}</ref>