Forfeited funds seized from Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev will go toward Ukrainian aid

It was announced by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, CNN quotes.

It is the first-ever transfer of confiscated Russian assets for use in Ukraine. The assets amounted to $5.4 million.

“With my authorisation today. The forfeited funds will next be transferred to the State Department to support the people of Ukraine,” the attorney general added. “Russian war criminals will find no refuge in the United States.” 

As a reminder, sanctions against Russian businessman Konstantin Malofeyev were imposed back in 2014 because of his influence on the temporary occupation of Crimea and the war in eastern Ukraine.

In April 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted Malofeyev for violating the sanctions. Malofeyev hired an American citizen, Jack Henick, to work on his projects in Russia and Greece. With Henick's help, the Russians transferred about $10 million from an American bank to a Greek bank.