“US seizes Russian oligarch’s assets to restore Ukraine: Konstantin Malofeev”

The US Attorney General has ordered the first part of the assets of Russian “Orthodox oligarch” Konstantin Malofeev seized by Washington to be used to restore Ukraine, the BBC reports.

Last year, the US Department of Justice accused Malofeev of violating the regime of sanctions imposed on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. In particular, the American authorities believe that the businessman financed the propaganda of separatism in the Moscow-annexed Crimea. Garland then announced the confiscation of “millions of dollars in US financial institution accounts related to Malofeev’s sanctions violations.”

In February of this year, Garland approved the use of confiscated funds to rebuild Ukraine.

AFP reported, citing Garland’s statement, that the $5.4 million seized by Malofeev was transferred to the US State Department to “repair the damage of Russia’s unjust war.”

The owner of Tsargrad TV channel Konstantin Malofeev has been under US sanctions since 2014. Ukraine, EU countries, the US and Canada suspect Malofeev of complicity in the annexation of Crimea and instigation of armed conflict in eastern Ukraine.

He himself denies these accusations and insists that he was only involved in humanitarian aid for Crimea and the south-eastern part of Ukraine. In an interview with the BBC, he said that he could indeed play an important role – but only in a spiritual sense.

Konstantin Malofeev himself has been banned from entering Bulgaria since 2019, when he was sanctioned within the framework of the investigation for espionage in favor of the Russian Federation and exerting influence against Nikolai Malinov.