Moscow lawyer with German roots linked to pro-Russian propaganda and German far-right activist
His firm helps foreigners recover Russian assets and obtain residence permits in Russia
Moscow-based lawyer’s links to German far right
TriTrace Investigations identified business and personal links between Moscow-based lawyer Erich Rath and Mario Rönsch, the reported editor of Anonymous News, a German-language outlet promoting pro-Russian, far-right and conspiratorial narratives.
Rath, who holds German and Russian citizenship, advises foreign businesses and investors in Russia. His firm helps clients recover dividends from Russian companies, convert Russian assets and obtain Russian residence permits.
Cross-border advisory
On 24 August, Interfax reported that a court had rejected Rath’s claim against Gazprom for RUB 57.5 million (approximately $681,000) in dividends and around RUB 30 million (approximately $355,000) in interest. The court cited his German citizenship as one of the grounds for its decision, despite Rath also holding a Russian passport.
Rath’s firm says it represents more than 250 investors, has recovered over RUB 200 million (approximately $2.4 million) in unpaid dividends and completed asset conversions worth more than RUB 6 billion (approximately $71 million).
The firm forms part of a broader consultancy structure spanning several jurisdictions. Rath previously worked for the Moscow audit company Sterngoff and continues to cooperate with it through his Moscow practice and Ratanwalt, his company in Kazakhstan. Corporate records place Ratanwalt at the same address as Sterngoff’s Almaty office.
Rath’s Moscow firm is 99% owned by UAE-registered Lebensort. Both organisations are connected to Rath’s partner Daniel Mehner, a business coach who became involved in converting Russian depositary receipts in 2022.
Business and propaganda
Rath also assists foreigners with obtaining Russian residence permits. He says that German clients regularly approach him about moving to Russia because of their personal views and that he has helped some of them regularise their status.
He discussed this work in an interview with Austrian businessman Martin Held. Important Stories reported that Held promotes relocation to Russia and that his company had received funding from RT.
In the same interview, Rath claimed that German intelligence had targeted him. According to his account, he was detained and questioned in Germany in 2024 on suspicion of intelligence activity and became the subject of a criminal investigation.
Rath has repeatedly appeared in German-language media promoting pro-Russian narratives. He described the rouble as the world’s strongest currency, claimed that sanctions had made Russia self-sufficient and argued that Russia’s legal system was more reliable than Germany’s.
Services for extremists
Rath’s residency services were promoted by Anonymous News, an outlet that publishes pro-Russian, far-right and conspiratorial content.
Investigations by Der Spiegel, OCCRP and Correctiv identified Rönsch as its reported editor-in-chief. They also found that a suspected FSB officer had distributed material published by the outlet.
Rönsch has been described as an extremist. He is a former member of Germany’s AfD party and previously operated an online arms shop in Hungary. He was convicted in Germany of illegal arms trading and has faced accusations involving incitement to hatred, calls to commit crimes and fraud.
Rönsch appears to have moved to Moscow around 2023 and, judging from material published by Anonymous News, continues to work from Russia.
Our research found both corporate and personal connections between Rath and Rönsch.
Rath’s firm moved into suite 4/3 at 5/7 Rozhdestvenka Street in Moscow in 2024 and initially appeared to be the only company registered in that office. In 2025, two other German-owned companies moved their registered addresses to the same suite. One was Octagon, owned by Mario Rönsch.
The address overlap is particularly relevant because Rath’s firm openly advertises company registration and Russian market-entry services.
We also found that Rath and Rönsch played tennis together and attended the 2025 St Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Photo: Mario Rönsch and Erich Rath // TriTrace Investigations
