London feels Russian oligarchs' losses

London may get a sharp taste of Russia's financial crisis as the country's billionaires see their paper wealth tumble along with Russian stock markets, The Times newspaper reported Saturday.

London has become a second home for many Russian oligarchs, who own multimillion-dollar homes in the city and surrounding counties, but the paper says new purchases are unlikely for the immediate future.

"Analysts familiar with Russia's leading businessmen believe that they will hold on to these as a way of keeping wealth outside of the Kremlin's control," the paper wrote. "However, estate agents in Chelsea and Kensington are unlikely to see many Russian buyers in the coming months."

The Bloomberg news agency estimated Friday that Russian billionaires lost more than $230 billion in the last five months.

The agency arrived at the figure by looking at stock-market falls for the known assets of the 25 richest Russians, as listed by Forbes magazine.

Oleg Deripaska, the richest Russian on the list, lost more than $16 billion according to Bloomberg, as his Basic Element holding company gave up stakes in Hochtief AG and Magna International Inc. Chelsea owner and former Chukotka governor Roman Abramovich "lost $20 billion, based on assets excluding property and cash," the agency said.