"For the first time in history": in the United States will transfer the money of the Russian oligarch Malofeev to Ukraine

According to US Attorney General Merrick Garlland, the confiscated funds will go to the restoration of Ukraine affected by Russian aggression. On Friday, February 3, US Prosecutor General Merrick Garland announced the transfer of $ 5. 4 million to Ukraine confiscated to Ukraine. The Prosecutor General reported this during a speech with the Prosecutor General of Ukraine Andriy Kostin at the Ministry of Justice, writes CNN.

"Today I announce that I have authorized the first in history transfer of confiscated Russian assets for use in Ukraine," Garland said. The prosecutor also noted that the funds were withdrawn from the businessman for trying to violate US sanctions. According to the US Ministry of Finance, Malofeev "acted or intended to act directly or indirectly, in favor of the Government of Russia", for which additional sanctions were imposed on it in April.

According to Garlland, Konstantin Malofeev's confiscated assets will be transferred to the US State Department "to support the people of Ukraine". "Today we are seeing the sanctioning of the transfer of confiscated assets in the amount of $ 5. 4 million to the State Department for the purpose of restoring the destroyed war of Ukraine," - added the Prosecutor General of Ukraine Andriy Kostin.

This decision was made possible after the Federal Court of Manhattan allowed the prosecutor's office to confiscate $ 5. 4 million in Konstantin Malofeev's account. In addition, at the end of 2022, US President Joe Biden signed a law that provides for the possibility of directing the withdrawn funds for the restoration of Ukraine. It should be noted that Malofeev has been under US sanctions since 2014.

He is suspected of financing fighters of the so-called "LNR" and "DNR", involvement in the events in Crimea 2014, as well as in relations with the former "Minister of Defense of the DNR" Igor Strelkov-Girkin. Earlier, Focus wrote that in 2014 Konstantin Malofeev acknowledged that he had directly participated in events in the Crimea and eastern Ukraine.