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US sanctions force Lukoil into a $22 billion global fire sale

US sanctions force Lukoil into a $22 billion global fire sale

Money Moves
By Newzino Staff | |

Washington extends a sanctions waiver as investors and oil majors jostle for Lukoil’s overseas empire.

December 10th, 2025: US extends Lukoil sale‑talk waiver to January 17, 2026

Overview

First the US froze Lukoil’s assets. Now it’s effectively forcing Russia’s biggest private oil company to auction off its global business. A fresh Treasury waiver gives buyers until January 17, 2026 to lock in deals for oilfields, refineries and thousands of gas stations worth about $22 billion.

Behind the dry language of “General License 131A” sits a high‑stakes scramble: Western majors, private equity and Gulf investors circling prime assets, while a Wall Street boutique pitches a way to turn frozen Lukoil shares into hard infrastructure. At stake is not just who owns Lukoil’s empire, but whether sanctions can both bleed Russia’s war machine and make Western investors whole.

Key Indicators

$22 billion
Estimated value of Lukoil’s foreign assets
Sets the scale of the forced divestment and the potential windfall for new owners.
Jan 17, 2026
New US deadline for asset‑sale negotiations
OFAC’s amended General License 131A pushes talks past the original December cutoff.
25%+
Pre‑war Western ownership of Lukoil stock
Shows how many foreign investors could benefit if the Xtellus compensation plan flies.
2,000+
Lukoil gas stations abroad under US waivers
Highlights the downstream network whose fate depends on sanctions policy.

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People Involved

Donald Trump
Donald Trump
President of the United States (Overseeing sanctions that forced Lukoil and Rosneft into selling foreign assets)
Scott Bessent
Scott Bessent
US Secretary of the Treasury (Leads implementation of sanctions and waivers governing Lukoil’s asset sales)
Sergei Kochkurov
Sergei Kochkurov
Chief Executive Officer, Lukoil (Managing Lukoil’s rapid divestment of its international business under Western sanctions)
Todd Boehly
Todd Boehly
US investor backing Xtellus Lukoil proposal (Potential indirect acquirer of Lukoil overseas assets via share‑for‑assets swap)

Organizations Involved

Lukoil
Lukoil
Russian Private Oil Corporation
Status: Selling virtually all international assets under US and UK sanctions pressure

Russia’s largest private oil producer is being forced to auction off its foreign empire to survive sanctions.

US Department of the Treasury – OFAC
US Department of the Treasury – OFAC
Federal Agency
Status: Issuing and adjusting licenses that govern Lukoil’s foreign asset sales

Treasury’s sanctions arm is scripting which Lukoil deals are allowed, when, and on what terms.

Xtellus Partners
Xtellus Partners
Financial advisory and investment firm
Status: Proposing a swap structure to turn frozen Lukoil shares into overseas assets

Boutique investment bank pitching a creative workaround to marry sanctions compliance with investor recovery.

Rosneft
Rosneft
Russian State Oil Corporation
Status: Sanctioned alongside Lukoil; potential domestic beneficiary of any reshuffling

Kremlin‑backed oil giant hit by the same US sanctions that are now dismantling Lukoil’s foreign arm.

Timeline

  1. US extends Lukoil sale‑talk waiver to January 17, 2026

    Sanctions

    OFAC issues GL 131A, extending the deadline for negotiating Lukoil asset sales to January 17, 2026.

  2. Wall Street boutique pitches Lukoil share‑for‑asset swap

    Financial

    Xtellus proposes using Lukoil foreign assets to repay US investors holding frozen shares.

  3. US lets Lukoil gas stations abroad keep trading into 2026

    Sanctions

    US allows Lukoil gas stations outside Russia to operate under a waiver through April 29, 2026.

  4. Hungary’s MOL circles Lukoil’s European downstream assets

    Deal-making

    Hungary’s MOL emerges as bidder for Lukoil refineries and fuel stations across Europe.

  5. Lukoil co‑founder Fedun quietly exits with $7 billion stake sale

    Corporate

    Reports reveal co‑founder Leonid Fedun sold a 10% Lukoil stake back to the company.

  6. US extends initial Lukoil sale waiver to December 13

    Sanctions

    OFAC extends negotiation license for Lukoil International GmbH sale to December 13, 2025.

  7. Lukoil says it will sell all international assets

    Corporate

    Lukoil announces plan to sell all international assets under an OFAC wind‑down license.

  8. US slaps full blocking sanctions on Lukoil and Rosneft

    Sanctions

    US Treasury designates Lukoil and Rosneft as SDNs, blocking property and issuing wind‑down licenses.

  9. Global indices eject Russian stocks, trapping Lukoil shareholders

    Markets

    Global index providers drop Russian stocks; Western funds freeze and later write off Lukoil holdings.

  10. Russia invades Ukraine, triggering sweeping sanctions

    War

    Russia invades Ukraine, triggering sweeping Western sanctions that freeze many foreign investors’ holdings in Russian firms.

Scenarios

1

US-Approved Share Swap Turns Frozen Lukoil Stock into Global Oil Assets

Discussed by: Reuters reporting on the Xtellus proposal and commentary from sanctions lawyers and distressed‑debt investors

Treasury blesses a non‑cash structure where US investors swap frozen Lukoil shares for ownership stakes in Lukoil’s foreign assets, orchestrated by Xtellus, Boehly and Gulf partners. Those assets are then sold on to energy companies, with proceeds flowing to investors rather than to Moscow and staying outside Russian reach. This would be a landmark precedent for using sanctioned companies’ overseas businesses to compensate Western investors while still starving the Kremlin of cash.

2

Chevron, Carlyle and Regional Players Carve Up Lukoil’s Overseas Empire

Discussed by: Reuters energy desk, regional business press and oil‑market analysts at firms like Rystad Energy

The simpler path is that OFAC keeps issuing narrow waivers for straight asset sales to clean buyers such as Chevron, Carlyle, MOL and Middle Eastern state firms. Deals are structured so no sale proceeds reach Russia, and host governments sign off to avoid supply shocks. Investors with frozen equity swallow their losses, but Western and regional champions scoop up refineries, fuel stations and upstream stakes at distressed prices, deepening Russia’s isolation from global oil infrastructure.

3

Talks Stall, Assets Freeze and Host Countries Move to Nationalise Lukoil Operations

Discussed by: Scenario analysis by sanctions specialists and regional media worried about supply security

If Washington refuses creative workarounds and buyers cannot clear political or financing hurdles by the new deadline, many Lukoil assets could be stuck in limbo. Host governments facing fuel‑supply risks might push for special administrators or outright nationalisation, as seen in past crises. That would weaken Russia but also strand Western investors and complicate future sanctions diplomacy, signalling that once a company is fully blocked, its foreign assets may simply be frozen or expropriated rather than re‑allocated through orderly sales.

Historical Context

Rusal Sanctions and Forced Restructuring

2018–2019

What Happened

In April 2018 the US sanctioned Russian aluminium giant Rusal and its parent En+, roiling metals markets and cutting the company off from much Western business. After months of negotiations, controlling shareholder Oleg Deripaska agreed to reduce his stake and influence, allowing Treasury to lift sanctions in early 2019 while keeping pressure on the Kremlin.

Outcome

Short Term

Aluminium prices spiked, contracts were scrambled and Washington had to rapidly craft waivers to avoid supply shocks.

Long Term

The case showed US sanctions could force ownership changes in strategic Russian firms without destroying them outright.

Why It's Relevant Today

Lukoil’s fire sale could mirror Rusal’s experience, with ownership reshaped under US terms rather than assets simply collapsing.

PDVSA, Sanctions and the CITGO Asset Auctions

2017–2025

What Happened

After Venezuela’s PDVSA defaulted on debt and Washington sanctioned it in 2019, creditors turned to CITGO, its US refining arm, as collateral. US courts gradually allowed an auction of PDV Holding shares backed by arbitration awards and defaulted bonds, while Treasury used licenses to pace the process and shield CITGO operations.

Outcome

Short Term

A court‑run auction process began reallocating CITGO’s parent to creditors, under tight OFAC oversight.

Long Term

The saga cemented a model where overseas energy assets of troubled, sanctioned firms are used to pay investors and claimants.

Why It's Relevant Today

Lukoil’s foreign assets may play a similar role for Western shareholders, with OFAC again choreographing who ultimately owns key refineries.

Yukos Breakup and Rosneft’s Rise

2003–2007

What Happened

Russian oil company Yukos was hit with massive back‑tax claims, its CEO jailed and its main production unit auctioned off under widely criticised circumstances. State‑controlled Rosneft and Gazprom ultimately absorbed most Yukos assets, transforming Rosneft into a national champion.

Outcome

Short Term

Yukos was declared bankrupt and dismantled, with auctions delivering core fields to state‑backed buyers at knockdown prices.

Long Term

The case showed how strategic oil assets can be politically redistributed, leaving minority investors fighting for compensation in foreign courts.

Why It's Relevant Today

Yukos illustrates the domestic mirror image of today’s Lukoil story: where Moscow once seized assets, Western governments now decide how another Russian champion’s holdings are carved up abroad.

10 Sources:
+6
Reuters US Treasury / OFAC US Department of the Treasury Lukoil Reuters US Treasury / OFAC Reuters Reuters Reuters Reuters