Berman and his firm Covington and Burling will work on issues related to the package of sanctions put into place by President Barack Obama and the Treasury Department against Russian companies and individuals, according to a lobbying disclosure made public this week.

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Viacom has several media properties that operate in Russia — including MTV Russia, Nickelodeon Russia and Comedy Central Russia. The company relaunched MTV Russia last October and launched a Paramount-branded film channel in the country earlier this year.

The Obama administration put into place limited sanctions against Russian interests after Russia invaded and annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in March. The sanctions were later expanded after Moscow’s continued support for an ongoing civil war in its neighbor.

U.S. sanctions laws sometimes contain either broad or narrow exemptions for media and entertainment purposes — exemptions that Viacom is likely interesting in preserving in the case of Russia.

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U.S. filmmakers are generally permitted to visit Cuba to film for documentary or research purposes despite a much broader embargo than in Russia, for example. Journalists are also allowed to travel to Cuba for professional reasons. And the Treasury Department does not require a special license to export or import films into the country despite the sanctions.

Viacom declined to comment on the new hire or how the current package of Russia sanctions are affecting its business. Berman and Covington and Burling also declined to comment for this story.