A US legal company has received substantial payments from two Russian oligarchs in order to advocate for the lifting of personal US sanctions. According to American journalist Katie Livingstone and the US Department of Justice, Sergey Chemezov and Vasily Brovko are prominent executives of the Russian defence company Rostec and are important associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
What sums did Brovko and Chemezov pay to lobbyists?
In an attempt to reverse US sanctions, Brovko and Chemezov engaged the Washington-based legal firm Rathmell Short LLP in early 2025, according to Livingston. Due to their backing of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, both oligarchs are subject to sanctions. However, a legal gap that experts say falls into a legal gray area allows them to lawfully use the services of attorneys.
Rathmell Short LLP agreed to pay $2.6 million in March to provide Putin’s billionaires with legal advice on US sanctions. Among the services are drafting delisting requests and corresponding with the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the US State Department. In order to bolster attempts to ease the restrictions, the contract also permits collaboration with a US lobbying company. This is another contentious issue that, in theory, stays within the law’s parameters, according to Livingston.
Sanctioned people are permitted by OFAC regulations to retain legal representation in order to contest their designation. Nonetheless, the Chemezov and Brovko case demonstrates how individuals with strong ties to the Kremlin nonetheless look for weaknesses. Journalist Livingston went on to say that Trump’s accusations that Putin is playing with fire are unfounded as his oligarchs are able to enter US power structures.
Which sanctions are they trying to lift?
Data from the US Department of Justice’s official website, which posts disclosures about foreign agents, supports Livingston’s claims. There, RBC-Ukraine discovered a number of agreements between Rathmell Short LLP, which would represent their interests in the US, and Sergey Chemezov and his advisor Vasily Brovko.
The lobbying company Sonoran Policy Group (Stryk Global Diplomacy) is also a party to the arrangement. Supporting initiatives to review and lift the sanctions is its declared objective. According to the documents, Chemezov and Brovko are expressly asking for the personal sanctions on them to be lifted.
The matter is obviously a top priority for Putin’s government, even if he has claimed that Western sanctions presumably strengthen Russia. At least some sanctions might be lifted as part of a planned peace pact on Ukraine, according to Reuters. In the meantime, internal pressure on US President Donald Trump over Russia sanctions is increasing, according to Reuters. According to the agency, he could be forced to make them stronger.
