Cityfile: New York's Most Notable and Influential

Valery and Olga Kogan are back in business! Sort of! As you may recall, last year the Russian tycoon and his wife planned to build the craziest mansion Greenwich had ever seen, one equipped with 15 bathrooms, Finnish and Turkish baths, on-site hair salon, and electric guitar-shaped outdoor patio surrounded by "guitar god" statues. More

Good news! It looks like Russian mogul Valery Kogan and his wife Olga are finally on their way to building the 21,127-square-foot mansion of their dreams! After more than a year of battles with neighbors and the Greenwich planning commission over plans to tear down the existing 19,000-square-foot mansion to build an even bigger manse in its place—one with 15 bathrooms, Finnish and Turkish baths, and an electric guitar-shaped outdoor patio surrounded by "guitar god" statues, no less—the board has finally relented and given the Kogans the go-ahead. The board concluded it couldn't "make decisions on aesthetics," even though the home would probably be a "sore thumb for the neighbors." Naturally, the prospect of increased property taxes for the cash-strapped town had no influence in the decision whatsoever.

Those interested in pissing off their neighbors could learn a thing or two from Russian mogul Valery Kogan and his wife Olga. The two purchased a 20,000-square-foot Greenwich mansion back in 2005, then infuriated neighbors by announcing plans in May 2008 to tear it down and build a new 27,000-square-foot palace—replete with 26 toilets—in its place. That plan was rejected by the Greenwich planning commission, which led the Kogans to propose a somewhat more modest plan, which called for a mere 21,000-square-feet of living space and 15 bathrooms. More

You may have heard about Russian mogul Valery Kogan and his wife Olga when they purchased a mansion in Greenwich for $18.5 million and then applied for permission to raze the house to build their 27,000-square-foot "dream home." In May Greenwich's planning commission denied the Kogans a permit following complaints from residents, who voiced concern that the mammoth manse would—gasp!—dwarf their own mansions and be a "vulgar" addition to the neighborhood. But Valery and Olga haven't given up on the dream. They resubmitted plans for a scaled-down version of the home just last week. And what exactly does "scaled-back" mean in rich Russian-speak? The new plan features 25 percent less square footage and just 15 bathrooms, down from the 26 they initially proposed. Alas, the revised application does not indicate if some of the other amenities they said they planned to install—like Turkish and Finnish bathing facilities and a "dog grooming room"—made the final cut.

This isn't shaping up to be an especially good year for New York's ultra-rich. According to Forbes, Moscow recently overtook NYC as the city with the most billionaires per square mile: Moscow had 74 people worth ten figures compared to New York, which had just 71. But those smarmy bazillionaires aren't staying put in Moscow or even in the de-facto Russian mogul ghetto of London. Many of them are spending time right here in New York: Real estate, oil, and metals scions from Russia and other former Soviet republics have been busy snatching up some of the most expensive apartments the city has to offer. Last month, a 42-year-old fertilizer kingpin named Dmitry Rybolovlev agreed to pay $100 million for Donald Trump's Palm Beach mansion, Maison de l'Amitié. The 59th richest man in the world, worth some $12.8 billion, his purchase includes a 33,000-square-foot home and 6.5 acres of land. But he isn't the only one. After the jump, a list of the novi Russki who spend time in New York—just who these Soviet oligarchs are, how they made their money, and what exactly they're up to in town.More