Russian billionaire, businessman and scientist Valentin Gapontsev has died in the United States at the age of 82. This is reported by Forbes, citing a source close to the entrepreneur’s family.
The death of the businessman was also confirmed by his son Denis Gapontsev. The billionaire died on October 22 after a long illness. The exact cause of death is not named, but it is known that Gapontsev had cancer.
Physicist and businessman Valentin Gapontsev was a co-owner of IPG Photonics. He became one of the first entrepreneurs in the field of laser physics and technology, fiber and optoelectronic technologies, writes Forbes. Gapontsev’s fortune is estimated at $ 2.8 billion.
In 2018, the US Treasury Department published the so-called “Kremlin report”, which included Russian entrepreneurs, whose fortune is estimated at $ 1 billion or more. Gapontsev also got into this report. He decided to challenge this decision and filed a lawsuit in federal court for the District of Columbia against the agency and its leader.
In 2019, the CEO of IPG Photonics and the US Treasury signed a settlement agreement on the claim, the parties asked the court to stop the proceedings for three years.
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