Roman Abramovich reportedly begging friends to lend him $1M to pay staff

Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich has been begging his Hollywood and US power broker friends to each lend him $1 million to keep him afloat as his assets are frozen by worldwide authorities.

The Chelsea Football Club owner Abramovich – whose bank accounts are frozen in the US and the UK – is desperately asking for loans from his prominent and powerful friends to maintain his whispered $750,000-a-week staff payroll – which includes the minions keeping afloat his multiple luxury super-yachts.

But while Abramovich – who has hosted a series of starry celebrity parties on his boats and at his sprawling St Barth’s estate – has many close friends in Hollywood, Wall Street and the tech world, we are told his associates are wary about lending him money, even as he takes part in the peace talks between Russia and the Ukraine.

A source told Page Six, “Roman is asking some of his his closest powerful friends to let him borrow $1 million.

“He is saying he has never missed payroll for his staff, which is $750,000 a week, and with his assets frozen he can’t pay his people.

“He has reached out to Hollywood producer and director Brett Ratner and the Rothschild family, among many others for money, but – while they are good friends with Roman – they have not agreed to give him money, because either they do not have that in liquid cash, or moreover it is not clear what are the repercussions under international law.”

Ratner declined to comment and the Rothschilds could not be reached. Neither have given money to Abramovich.

The United Kingdom and the European Union sanctioned Abramovich — who has a net worth of $14.3 billion, according to Bloomberg — in early March following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.