US Attorney General Merrick Garland approved the first tranche of confiscated Russian assets in favor of Ukraine, Reuters reports . According to Garland, the tranche, which should go to the reconstruction of the country, is "the first, but not the last."
Last year, the US Department of Justice accused Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeev of violating sanctions imposed on Russia in 2014. It was noted that Malofeev financed the separatist movements in the Crimea.
At the same time, Garland announced the freezing of millions of dollars in American accounts that are associated with the oligarch. In February 2023, the US Attorney General announced that he had approved their transfer to Ukraine.
Earlier on May 10, the State Secretariat for Economic Relations of Switzerland (SECO) announced that the assets of the Russian Central Bank in the amount of $ 8.3 billion were immobilized in the country. This amount, according to representatives of the department, must be separated from the amount of frozen funds and assets owned or under control of persons, companies or organizations against which sanctions are imposed.
SECO is also "closely watching" discussions in the EU regarding the need to invest funds from the Central Bank of the Russian Federation and use the profits received to restore Ukraine.