Ivan Ignatyevich Savvidi (Russian: Иван Игнатьевич Саввиди, IPA: [ɪˈvan ɨɡˈnatʲjɪvʲɪtɕ sɐˈvʲidʲɪ]; born 27 March 1959), also known as Ivan Savvidis (Greek: Ιβάν Σαββίδης, romanized: Iván Savvídis, IPA: [iˈvan saˈviðis]; Georgian: ივან ეგნატეს ძე სავიდი, romanized: ivan egnat'es dze savidi, IPA: [ivan eɡnates dze savidi]), is a Russian-Greek businessman. He is one of Russia's wealthiest men ("Russian oligarch") and was a member of the Russian Parliament, closely linked to the President Vladimir Putin.
According to Forbes, his fortune is estimated to $1.4 billion.
Ivan Savvidi was born on March 27, 1959, in the village of Santa, Tsalka District, in what was then the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic. His parents, Ignatios and Kleoniki, were Pontic Greek workers originating from Santa (present-day Turkey), who had 8 children, including Ivan. He was brought up as a Christian Orthodox, taught Greek history, and until the age of 7 spoke only Pontic Greek.
At the age of 14 he settled in Rostov-on-Don where he finished high school. He served his military service and was discharged with the rank of sergeant. At the end of his military service he found work at the Don State Tobacco Factory. At the same time, in 1984 he began studying at the Logistics Department of the Rostov Institute of National Economy, from which he graduated in 1988.
With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Savvidi joined the stream of Pontic Greek fleeing to Greece.
After spending some time in the village of Megali Vrysi in Kilkis where his sister lived, trying to encourage Greeks in the area to invest together in the private economy that was shaping the former Soviet Union, he returned to Rostov and his old job. After some time of successful work, the management decided to promote Savvidi, appointing him deputy director.
In 1993, was elected by workers as general director of the Donskoy Tabak company. The same year, during the privatisation process, "OJSC Donskoy Tabak" was established. Savvidi became the main shareholder of the company (with a 75.71% stake) and its chairman.
In 2013, Forbes listed Savvidis as the 30th wealthiest Russian businessman in the world. In 2013 he purchased 82% of the Greek tobacco company SEKAP.
In 2017 he acquired 19% of Mega Channel but some months later he sold it. In 2017 his Dimera Media company acquired the Pegasus Publications, which includes the newspapers of Ethnos and Imerisia. On 11 August of the same year, he bought the E Channel from businessman Philipos Vryonis and the market agreement was ratified on 21 August 2017.
In March 2018, he sold the OJSC Donskoy Tabak, together with his shares of SEKAP, to Japan Tobacco for $1.6 billion.
In February 2024 the High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine decided, following a request by the Ukrainian Justice Ministry, to seize the assets of both Ivan Savvidi and wife Kyriaki in the country due to his continued support for Russia's war effort in Ukraine. According to media sources, Savvidi's support dates back to 2014 and has been steady and long-standing. The confiscated assets include all of the shares of "PentoPak", a private joint stock company involved in polyamide food packaging, and all of the authorized capital of the Ukrainian subsidiary of food-packaging company "Atlantis-Pak". The State Property Fund of Ukraine proceeded in May 2024 to an electronic auction of the "PentoPak" company. According to the SPFU, this is the first case of the sale of a sanctioned plant. Its starting price was more than 203 million hryvnia (about €4.5 million).
In February 2013, Savvidi took over the management of the Macedonia Palace in Thessaloniki.
He has also acquired a number of historic villas of Thessaloniki (such as the Longos mansion, Villa Zardinidi etc.), while his recent investment in Porto Carras reached €500 million.
Savvidis was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Rostov Oblast in 1998 and 2003. In 2003, Savvidis was elected as a Deputy in the State Duma; he subsequently served as the Deputy Chairman of the Budget Committee and Taxes. In 2007, Savvidis was re-elected as a Deputy in the State Duma as a member of the party United Russia led by chairman Vladimir Putin, serving until 2011. He served as a member of the Committee International Affairs, as coordinator of Interparliamentary Relations with the Hellenic Parliament and as Deputy Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Russia-Belarusian Union.
He has previously made positive comments about the Greek political party Syriza and has likened Alexis Tsipras to Vladimir Putin.
Between July 2002 and July 2005, Savvidis was President of FC Rostov.
On 10 August 2012, he acquired ownership of the Greek football team PAOK and entered the Forbes list of the richest people in the world.
In 2015 Savvidis paid all of the club's debts to the Greek State, an amount that totalled at €10,886,811. After his exit from the tax office he stated: "I had a cup of tea that cost me €10.8 million."