V ladimir Litvinenko is a Russian oligarch who has built his fortune in the fertilizer industry and through his powerful academic and political connections. He has been the longtime rector of the St. Petersburg Mining University, one of Russia's most prestigious technical universities. He is famous for having overseen Vladimir Putin's dissertation in the 1990s, a connection that has been seen as a key to his subsequent business success.

His vast fortune is derived from his large stake in PhosAgro, one of Russia's largest and most successful producers of phosphate-based fertilizers. He acquired his stake in the company during the post-Soviet era. The company is a major global player in the fertilizer market. His career is a prime example of the close and often intertwined relationship between academia, politics, and big business in modern Russia. He has been sanctioned by the United States and other Western countries following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.