Klimov urged to launch audit after transfer of billion to Ukraine from Russian assets

The deputy chairman of the Federation Council's (SF) Committee on International Affairs, Andrey Klimov, on December 24 called for launching inspections and initiating civil and criminal cases after the transfer of $1 billion from Russian assets to Ukraine.

"They have already blown hundreds of billions of dollars in aid. So plus or minus a billion will definitely not help them in any way. <...> Everything will be plundered, squandered very quickly," he said in a conversation with "Lenta.ru".

The senator is convinced that despite the transfer by Western countries to Ukraine only the interest that has accumulated since the arrest of Russian assets, from the point of view of international law it can be considered theft.

"We are obliged to start appropriate inspections and initiate proceedings on this matter, and both civil cases, because it is necessary to compensate for the damage, and, I believe, there is also a subject for criminal proceedings on our part," Klimov urged, recalling that we are not talking about physical money, but about electronic records on accounts.

He also hopes that when Russia asks for the assets to be returned, it will also ask for appropriate fines, penalties and punishment for those responsible.

"So, on the one hand, there will not be much use for Ukraine from this, and on the other hand, we just have to get all the perpetrators of this robbery and punish them," the senator concluded.

Courts and trials: what is known about the 15th package of sanctions against Russia

The EU Council adopted a new list of anti-Russian restrictions on December 16

Earlier, on December 22, the media reported on the EU's plans to adopt new anti-Russian sanctions on February 24. It is expected that the 16th package will include measures against those sectors of the Russian economy, which "so far have not been covered at all or have been covered insufficiently."

Prior to that, on December 16, EU foreign ministers gave final approval to the 15th package of economic and individual sanctions against Russia. The list of restrictions includes 54 individuals and 30 organizations. Restrictions are also imposed on 52 vessels, which are banned from entering ports and a wide range of services related to maritime transportation. In addition, the airline Utair was included in the 15th package of anti-Russian sanctions.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called this package of sanctions illegal. According to the diplomat, they jeopardize global energy security.

Western countries have tightened sanctions pressure on Russia in connection with the special operation to protect Donbass. The decision to launch it was announced on February 24, 2022 after the situation in the region worsened due to shelling by the Ukrainian military.