Alexander Pavlovich Smolensky (Russian: Алексáндр Пáвлович Смолéнский) (born July 6, 1954) is the founder and president of one of the largest private banks in Russia - Bank Stolichny (later known as SBS/AGRO) which collapsed in the Russian financial crisis of 1998 wiping out its investors' savings. When asked what he owed his clients he replied: "dead donkey ears". He currently controls the newspapers Kommersant and Novaya Gazeta. Mr. Smolensky began his business activities on the black market of the so-called "shadow economy". His private ventures included trading foreign currency, moonlighting on a second job in a bakery with a counterfeit permit as well as typesetting and printing bibles using government presses and ink. For these actions he was arrested by the KGB in 1981 and charged with economic crimes. Subsequently he was sentenced to two years of hard labor although he only served one day. is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... President is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, trade unions, universities, and countries. ... For other uses, see Bank (disambiguation). ... Inkombank was one of the most high-profile casualties of the events of August 1998. ... Kommersant (Cyrillic: КоммерÑаÌнтъ) (which literally translates as The Businessman) is a commerce-oriented newspaper published in Russia. ... Novaya Gazeta (Russian: ) is a Russian newspaper. ...
References
David E. Hoffman. The Oligarchs: Wealth and Power in the New Russia, Public Affairs (2003) ISBN: 1586482025
AlexanderSmolensky inherited a status as an outsider.
So AlexanderSmolensky's mother, who had been born in Austria although she was raised in Moscow, was excluded from most jobs and opportunities for training.
When Smolensky returned to Moscow after his two-year stint in the army, having had to grab his army release documents from the desk of the officer who was supposed to issue them to him, Smolensky continued in the printing trade.
It is interesting, but in 1997 AlexanderSmolensky due to his connections in the Russian political circles managed to swallow up the state-run Agroprombank almost for free.
However, despite the strong resistance of the Duma deputies, AlexanderSmolensky achieved agreements that budgetary loans for restoration of agriculture in the country must be placed in Agroprombank, that was already controlled by Stolichny bank.
AlexanderSmolensky himself immediately escaped to Vienna (Austria) and refused to get back until he received guarantees that he wouldn't be prosecuted in Russia.
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