Recently unsealed court documents have exposed a longstanding and multifaceted relationship between convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and Sir Leonard Blavatnik, ranking among Britain’s wealthiest individuals. The correspondence, spanning over a decade, reveals scheduled meetings, social engagements, and mutual business inquiries between the two.
Email records from September 2017 show Epstein recommending Blavatnik as “adequate” when venture capitalist Masha Drokova inquired about potential Russian oligarch investors for her fund. Earlier communications from July 2009 reveal Epstein requesting employment favors in Moscow for a friend with finance degrees, specifically instructing his assistant to mention the friend’s connection to Ghislaine Maxwell while omitting his own involvement.
The documents detail multiple social invitations extended to Blavatnik, including a September 2010 gathering at Epstein’s residence featuring Ehud Barak, then Israeli Defense Minister. The proposed guest list for this event included prominent figures from finance, media, and politics: Steve Schwarzman of Blackstone, later-disgraced host Charlie Rose, General Wesley Clark, and former JP Morgan executive Jes Staley.
Further evidence of their connection emerges from a May 2014 dinner party guest list that included both Blavatnik and Barak alongside Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, and entertainment figures David Blaine, Woody Allen, and JJ Abrams.
The files also indicate that Epstein repeatedly sought favors from Blavatnik through assistants, including requests for Hamilton musical tickets in 2015. Notably, in August 2014, Bill Gates offered to introduce Epstein to Blavatnik, suggesting unawareness of their preexisting relationship.
The revelations carry significant political implications as Blavatnik’s company, Access Industries, has donated £1.3 million to the UK Conservative Party in 2024 alone, with an additional £70,000 contribution to Robert Jenrick’s leadership campaign. Jenrick has since defected to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, potentially redirecting donor support. Blavatnik also faces international scrutiny, having been sanctioned by Ukrainian President Zelensky in 2023.