It’s a funny thing about sanctions: While detractors have been warning that implementing them against Russia can backfire on the implementors, it turns out that there are also unintended benefits for some American companies.

Take for example Space Exploration Technologies, also known as SpaceX. Founded by South African web mogul Elon Musk in 2002, the California-based company makes launch vehicles—that is, rockets to launch things like satellites into space. There are squillions of dollars in it, both in the commercial and government contract sectors. SpaceX has been doing brisk business lobbing commercial satellites into space, but when it comes to competing for government contracts, SpaceX is the new kid on the block, competing against the well-connected, revolving-door behemoth in town: United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture by Boeing and Lockheed that has tens of billions of dollars of contracts to launch military and surveillance satellites into space for the Air Force.

A few years ago, SpaceX got shut out of the bidding and each of its protests against the no-bid contracts has been shot down. And despite Senator John McCain’s constant protests that these no-bid contracts smacked of “cronyism,” it seemed SpaceX had no chance to feed at the Pentagon trough.

Until Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine and snapped up Crimea. That’s when the U.S. imposed sanctions on some of Putin’s croniest cronies, including Dmitry Rogozin, a deputy prime minister. SpaceX, which has no shortage of “communications experts” working on their problem in Washington, seized on the opportunity and they are now busily connecting the dots for anyone who will care to listen.

Among Rogozin’s responsibilities is overseeing the Russian aerospace industry—on which ULA (SpaceX’s chief competitor) is reliant. To get U.S. Air Force communications satellites into space, ULA launches them on its Atlas V rockets, which it can’t build without the RD-180 engine, which, in turn, is manufactured exclusively in Russia. The company that makes the RD-180 is called NPO Energomash, and while it is not directly owned by Rogozin, it is part of the aerospace industry for which he is responsible. And Rogozin was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury back in March.