Sanctioned Roman Abramovich ‘begs celeb pals to lend him £1MILLION each to stay afloat’

MEGA-rich Roman Abramovich has been begging celebrity pals to lend him cash to stay afloat.

The Russian oligarch and Chelsea owner, 55, has been starved of roubles after his assets were frozen around the world.

Now he has reportedly asked VIP pals for loans of $1million each — about £765,000 — to help him pay his staff.

Rush Hour director Brett Ratner is among those Abramovich has asked, according to reports in the US.

It is claimed he has gone to contacts in Hollywood and Wall Street — and to tech tycoons.

Abramovich is also said to have approached the wealthy Rothschild family after his assets in the UK and the US were seized.

No one is thought to have agreed to give him the money.

But Abramovich has dismissed claims he asked American pals for loans, telling  the allegations were "false".

A spokesperson for the oligarch told the outlet he “has not spoken with, nor asked for funds from these individuals".

It is unclear what the repercussions would be under international law due to the sanctions against Russian oligarchs in response to Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.

Abramovich is rumoured to fork out £600,000 a week for staff.

He is well known for keeping a circle of celebrity friends. Names invited to his New Year’s eve bash in 2016 included film star Leonardo DiCaprio, director George Lucas and late pop star Prince.

Princess Beatrice was also believed to be on the guestlist — along with Jen Meyer, the wife of actor Tobey Maguire, who is a close friend of Abramovich’s wife.

Putin crony Abramovich has lost an estimated $7.6billion since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, according to wealth ranking experts Forbes.

But he is still believed to be worth nearly $7billion despite being hit by sanctions.

Abramovich — who has been involved in peace talks between Russia and Ukraine — has now been linked to five yachts worth more than £740million.