Net Worth: $121 million

Age: 50

Marital status: $121 million

Last year: Retail, property, restaurant business

Industry: Married, two sons

One of Korrespondent’s journalists accidentally witnessed a curious conversation between two women in a grocery store in Sevastopol. They were discussing who owned which retail chains in Ukraine. The most original ideas they came up with were Yulia Tymoshenko as owner of the hypermarket chain METRO Cash & carry and Assiya Akhat as owner of the Furshet supermarkets. Both guesses were wide of the mark, although with the second one the Sevastopol gossips weren’t far from the truth. The owner of 41percent of Furshet is Igor Balenko, Assiya Akhat’s husband. Out of love for music and his wife, the millionaire sells her discs in his stores, which is where people’s impression that she’s involved in his business comes from. But Balenko’s fortune has not been amassed through the magical voice of Akhat. Furshet, is the second-largest retail chain in Ukraine, comprising more than 100 supermarkets. The chain’s sales turnover last year reached UAH6 billion. Balenko is dreaming of UAH8 billion this year. He also has shares in the pharmaceutical business, a chain of children’s supermarkets, the hypermarket Auchan, the hotel business and others. In other words, he’s got more than enough. And Akhat, of course, occasionally gets something from the family table.