B oris Rotenberg is a Russian oligarch who, along with his older brother Arkady, has built a vast business empire with interests in construction, banking, and energy. He is a childhood friend and former judo partner of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a connection that is widely seen as central to his business success. After spending time in Finland as a judo trainer, he returned to Russia in the 1990s.

The brothers' fortunes grew immensely through their company, Stroygazmontazh (SGM), which became one of the largest contractors for the Russian state-owned gas giant, Gazprom, receiving billions of dollars in contracts to build gas pipelines and other infrastructure projects. They also co-owned SMP Bank. Due to their close ties to the Kremlin, Boris and his brother Arkady were among the first Russian oligarchs to be hit with sanctions by the United States and the European Union following Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, with further sanctions imposed after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.