“Although this is the first transfer of seized Russian funds to the United States for the reconstruction of Ukraine, it will not be the last,” Garland announced, according to Reuters.
Malofeyev, who, among other things, is the owner of the Russian nationalist TV channel Cargrad, was accused in the US of violating anti-Russian sanctions last fall.
Millions of dollars
According to the US Department of Justice, among other things, he financed Russians promoting separatism in Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014.
Garland announced at the time that “millions of dollars were seized from an account at a US financial institution in connection with the sanctions violation.”
Following the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, Garland announced the creation of a team called KleptoCapture to specifically target Russian oligarchs trying to evade US sanctions. Washington has since seized a number of assets, including luxury yachts.
US President Joe Biden last year called on lawmakers to facilitate the transfer of these funds to Kyiv.
In December, Congress passed a law that allows certain assets seized by the Department of Justice to be provided to Ukraine through the US State Department.
Russia’s secret service announced that it prevented an attack on the owner of an ultra-nationalist TV station
Europe
