Eduard Volodymyrovych Shifrin (alternative spelling: Shyfrin) (Ukrainian:Едуа́рд Володи́мирович Шифрі́н;Russian:Эдуа́рд Влади́мирович Шифри́н; born 12 July 1960) is a Ukrainian entrepreneur who is a co-owner of theMidland Group. He is a resident inLondon.[1]
Shifrin was born inDnipropetrovsk,Soviet Ukraine, the son ofmetallurgy professor Vladimir Moiseyevich Shifrin.[1] In 1976–7 he came first in the National Ukrainian Physics Olympiad. From 1977 to 1983, he attended theMoscow Institute of Steel and Alloys, becoming a metallurgical engineer. He later returned to school and obtained a PhD in metallurgy in 1992.[2]
From 1983 to 1993, Shifrin worked inZaporizhia at the steel companyDniprospecstal, rising from assistant foreman to manager of the steel plant and then head of marketing.[1][2] He then rose to prominence as abusiness oligarch in newly independent Ukraine, taking control of privatized steelmakerZaporizhstal. He co-founded, withAlexander Shnaider,Midland Group, a holding company headquartered inGuernsey that embraces interests in steel (including Zaporizhstal, Ukraine's fourth largest steel mill), shipping, real estate, agriculture and sports. Together they ownedMaccabi Tel Aviv and aFormula One team,Midland F1 Racing.[3]
In the 2006 edition of theSunday Times Rich List, Shifrin was listed at no. 59 with an estimated wealth of £920 million.[4] InForbes magazine's ranking of "The World's Billionaires" in 2009, Shifrin was ranked 559th with an estimated fortune of $1.3 billion.[5] In 2013,Focus magazine estimated his net worth at $893.3 million, making him the No. 20 richest person in Ukraine.[1] In 2008, the global economic crisis hit the group's assets, and the group began selling off its real estate and Russian and Ukrainian steel assets. In 2010, it sells the company's main asset, Zaporizhstal Steel Works, and all related assets.[6] After that, the division of assets between Shifrin and Shnaider began, which was finally completed in 2017 after the business co-owners concluded the trial by signing a settlement agreement.[7] As a result of the division, Shifrin acquires several Moscow properties, which he completes and sells, and then finally leaves Russia in 2020.By 2022 all his businesses in former-Soviet countries were closed.
In 2006, together with his late father, Shifrin published a book titledThe Theory of Metallurgical Processes in Ukrainian language for which he was awarded the State Prize of Ukraine.
In 2018 Shifrin's bookFrom Infinity to Man: The Fundamental Ideas of Kabbalah Within the Framework of Information Theory and Quantum Physics was published in Russian, with an English edition being released in 2019 (now it is a bestseller on Amazon).[8]
In 2019, his children's bookTravels with Sushi in the Land of the Mind was published in English.[9] In 2020 it was named a Distinguished Favorite by the Independent Press Award for Juvenile Fiction.[10]
He is a main sponsor ofJewish Book Week London.[11]
He is a creator of Kabbalah of information and regularly writes articles about it on his personal page in the Jerusalem Post.[12]
Shyfrin Alliance create an intoxicating mix of rock, blues and romantic balladry, with messages of unconditional love and antiwar sentiment.
Shifrin writes the jazz-rock-blues compositions (music and lyrics), which are then recorded in Paris under the Shyfrin Alliance project.[13] The songs have been released on Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud, Amazon Music, as well as US, UK, French and German radio stations.[14] The music videos were released on YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok.[15][16]
Single releases:[17]
| Name | Year |
|---|---|
| Whiskey Blues | 2024 |
| Unconditional | 2024 |
| The Cage | 2024 |
| Lockdown | 2024 |
| Cheval Blanc Blues (French veresion) | 2024 |
| To Your Soul | 2024 |
| Buddhe Blues | 2025 |
| Winter Côte d'Azur | 2025 |
| In the Shadow of Time | 2025 |
| Colours of Time | 2025 |
Album releases:[18]
| Album | Song | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Upside Down Blues | The Cage | 2024 |
| Unconditional | ||
| I See Your Eyes | ||
| Upside Down Blues | ||
| Conversation With Love | ||
| Shakespeare Blues | ||
| G-D's Number Blues | ||
| Bridge of Paris | ||
| To Your Soul | ||
| Lockdown | ||
| Cheval Blanc lues | ||
| Whiskey Blues | ||
| In the Shadow of Time | Colours of Time | 2025 |
| In the Shadow of Time | ||
| Black Hole Blues | ||
| Point A Point B | ||
| Pendulum | ||
| Buddha Blues | ||
| Insanity Blues |
In 2003 he financed the reconstruction of the oldest synagogue inKyiv and Jewish educational center dedicated to his late father.[19] He also co-sponsored the construction of synagogues in Moscow, Volgograd, and Zaporozhye.[2] He sponsors over 60 Chabad educational classes for children. He served as regional vice-president of theWorld Jewish Congress.[2][20] In May 2025 he was elected as vice-president ofWorld Jewish Congress from Ukraine.[21]
Following the outbreak of full-scalehostilities between Russia and Ukraine in 2022, Shifrin decried armed conflict[22] and submitted a request to the Russian embassy in London in which he strongly condemned the aggression against Ukraine[23] and requested the renunciation of his Russian citizenship.[24][25] He and other family members donated to Ukrainian military hospitals and organizations supporting people within and near warzones.[26][27] including the UK-basedWorld Jewish Relief.[28] Put on the wanted list by the Russian authorities without any warning[29] In 2023, he was awarded the Cross of Freedom medal of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine for his work for Ukraine.[30]
Shifrin and his wife have three children.[4]
What is easy to get into, but hard to get out of? My answer is Russian citizenship. In 2020 I left Russia because of the harassment by "siloviki". After 24/02/22 I tried to understand the procedure of renunciation of the Russian citizenship. In the beginning of May, 2022, I sent a letter to the embassy of Russian Federation in UK in which I expressed my protest against the aggression against Ukraine and renounced down my and my daughter's citizenship.
