German Sterligov

German Lvovich Sterligov (; born 18 October 1966) is a Russian businessman and environmentalist.

Early life and education German Sterligov was born in Zagorsk (now Sergiyev Posad), Russian SFSR, Soviet Union. He attended college but eventually dropped out.

Career In 1990, during the dissolution of the USSR, he was instrumental in the founding of the Russian commodities exchange. The exchange is named after his dog, Alisa. His company employed more than 2,500 people and had offices in New York City and London.

He is a nationalist and has participated in several political campaigns. In 2004, Sterligov ran for the presidency of Russia, but his candidacy was prevented by the federal government.

During the 2008 financial crisis, Sterligov founded the Anti-Crisis Settlement and Accounting Center, which gave financial support to those exchanging goods and services. He also founded a housing commune for farmers and artisans while providing free social and medical services. In December 2010, Sterligov sent an open letter to Vladimir Putin and Dimitry Medvedev, proposing a suggestion to sell Siberia and the Russian Far East to other countries after transferring ethnic Russians to European Russia.

After his unsuccessful attempt to be a presidential candidate, Sterligov sold most of his assets to live in a forest. He was noted for living in a cottage with his family. He told the BBC that he wished to escape "the mercenary atmosphere, the envy and the hustle" of Moscow. After settling in Nagorno-Karabakh, Sterligov announced plans to start a farming business and stated that his wife would open a designer store. The move caused anger in Azerbaijan whose internationally recognised borders Nagorno-Karabakh lies within.

Sterligov's lawyer, Arthur Airapetov, stated Interpol had suspended its international search for Sterligov on 21 August 2015. In a statement he stated "International police does not search the people wanted for political motives since it contradicts the statute. The Interpol commission has recognized Sterligov's persecution by Azerbaijan as political."