Igor Albertovich Kesaev is a Russian billionaire businessman, the self-made Owner and President of the Mercury Group, a massive conglomerate with interests in tobacco distribution (Megapolis Group), retail, weapons manufacturing, and real estate. Born in Ordzhonikidze, North Ossetian ASSR, in 1966, his career is rooted in finance and high-stakes trade.

Kesaev graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. His career began in the insurance business in the late 1980s, before he rose to head the board of directors of a Moscow bank. His structural success is tied to his mastery of high-volume retail distribution in the post-Soviet market.

• Mercury Group (Owner & President): The core private asset, a massive conglomerate spanning tobacco distribution (Megapolis Group), retail, weapons manufacturing, and real estate (e.g., Mercury City Tower in Moscow).
• Tobacco Monopoly: His Megapolis Group achieved an unprecedented 70 percent share of the Russian tobacco distribution business.
• Political Ties: His wealth is linked to purported ties with the Russian government and security forces (FSB and GRU).
• Controversy: He was sanctioned by the U.S., U.K., EU, and Canada in 2022.

Igor Kesaev founded the Mercury Group in 1991. His strategic genius was his focus on consolidating the retail tobacco trade. His subsidiary, Megapolis Group, secured exclusive distribution deals with the world's largest tobacco companies (Philip Morris International, Imperial Tobacco, and Japan Tobacco International), achieving an unprecedented 70 percent market share in Russian tobacco distribution—earning him the nickname Russia's cigarette king.

His wealth is secured by the massive, stable cash flow of the tobacco monopoly and his real estate holdings, including the Mercury City Tower in Moscow. His career is marked by high-profile controversy and sanctions: he was sanctioned by the U.S., U.K., EU, and Canada in 2022 due to his close links and economic ties to state security and military personnel through his various business holdings (including weapons manufacturers). He holds Cypriot citizenship and has been involved in complex legal challenges against the sanctions.