Money seized by the US from Russian oligarch will be channelled to "support the Ukrainian people"
The US Department of Justice announced on Friday the first transfer of seized Russian funds to help Ukraine. It is $5.4 million seized from oligarch Konstantin Malofeev.
"I am announcing today that I have approved the first transfer of seized Russian funds destined for Ukraine," said US Attorney General Merrick Garland, adding that the assets were seized following the indictment of oligarch Konstantin Malofeev in April. The amount seized will go to the State Department "to support the Ukrainian people," CNN reported.
Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin welcomed the transfer "worth $5.4 million". "All Ukrainians have suffered in one way or another from this war. We must ensure that the Ukrainian people receive compensation for the enormous damage they have suffered," he wrote on Twitter.
Russian billionaire Konstantin Malofeev is considered one of the main sources of funding for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. He has been accused of "attempting to evade sanctions by using accomplices to secretly buy and run media outlets across Europe," according to Washington.
The US has announced sanctions against Russian companies or citizens on numerous occasions since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Specifically, they include freezing the possible assets of such individuals on US soil and banning all their interactions with US banks.
