Lobbying firm SBL Strategies is representing Yandex on unspecified technology- and trade-policy issues, according to a recent disclosure. The filing does not state how much Yandex is paying the lobbying firm for the contract, which began on April 1.

Yandex is commonly described as "Russia's Google" for its popular search engine. But the Dutch multinational corporation plays a much bigger role in Russian life, with Wired recently characterizing the company as the country's "Google, Uber, Spotify and Amazon combined."

Yandex has reportedly been hard hit by Western sanctions against Russia, although the corporation has not been the direct target of any sanctions. Yandex's market cap has fallen from a high of over $29.7 billion in October to just $8.2 billion today. And in March, Yandex's executive director and deputy CEO departed the company after the European Union announced sanctions against him as an individual.