Ivan Savvidis

In March 2018, he sold the Donskoy Tabak, together with the Greek SEKAP, to Japan Tobacco for 1.6 billion.

On 11 March 2018, during the PAOK–AEK football match at the Toumba Stadium and after PAOK had a goal ruled out for offside in the 89th minute, Savvidis entered the pitch with his bodyguards and tried to take the team off. It later surfaced that he had been carrying a handgun in a holster when he entered the pitch. The Greek Super League was subsequently suspended and Savvidis had a three-year punishnment of entering football stadiums by the HFF.

In 2018 the Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia (today North Macedonia), Zoran Zaev, reportedly accused him of giving hundreds of thousands of euros to individuals and groups who participated in the riots against the Prespa agreement in Skopje. Savvidis with an official statement denied these accusations.

He has 19% of Mega Channel and in 2017 his Dimera Media company acquired the Pegasus Publications, which includes the newspapers of Ethnos and Imerisia. On 11 August of the same year, he bought the E Channel from businessman Philipos Vryonis and the market agreement was ratified on 21 August 2017.

In 2015 Savvidis paid all of the club's debts to the Greek State, an amount that totalled at €10,886,811. After his exit from the tax office he stated: "I had a cup of tea that cost me 10,8 million €."

In 2013, Forbes listed Savvidis as the 30th wealthiest Russian businessman in the world. In 2013 he purchased 82% of the Greek tobacco company SEKAP.

In February 2013, Savvidis took over the management of the Macedonia Palace in Thessaloniki.

As of 10 August 2012, he had acquired ownership of the Greek football team PAOK and entered the Forbes list of the richest people in the world.

Between 2002 and 2005, Savvidis was President of FC Rostov.

Savvidis was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Rostov Oblast in 1998 and 2003. In 2003, Savvidis was elected as a Deputy in the State Duma; he subsequently served as the Deputy Chairman of the Budget Committee and Taxes. In 2007, Savvidis was re-elected as a Deputy in the State Duma as a member of the party United Russia led by chairman Vladimir Putin, serving until 2011. He served as a member of the Committee International Affairs , as coordinator of Interparliamentary Relations with the Hellenic Parliament and as Deputy Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Russia-Belarusian Union.

Savvidis was born in Santa Gruzino, Tsalka District, Georgia. After serving in the Soviet Army, Savvidis was educated at the Rostov State University of Economics in Rostov-on-Don. In the 1980s and early 1990s, Savvidis was employed in various positions at the Don State Tobacco Factory. In 1992, the tobacco factory was privatised and renamed CJSC Donskoy Tabak; in the following year Savvidis was appointed as its General Director. Savvidis and his wife, Kyriaki Savvidi, are now formally the majority shareholders of Donskoy Tabak, the largest Russian tobacco company.

Ivan Ignatyevich Savvidi (Russian: Иван Игнатьевич Саввиди , [jɪˈvan jɪɡˈnatʲɪvit͡ɕ sɐˈvʲɪdʲi(s)] , Greek: Ιβάν Σαββίδης , romanized: Ivan Savvidis, [iˈvan saˈviðis] , Georgian: ივან ეგნატეს ძე სავიდი , Ivan Egnates dze Savidi, [iˈvɑn ɛɡˈnɑtɛs d͡zɛ sɑˈvidi] , also known as Ivan Savvidis; born 27 March 1959), is a Russian-Georgian businessman and politician of Caucasus Greek origin. Savvidis is one of Russia's wealthiest men and was a member of the Russian Parliament, closely linked to the President Vladimir Putin.