The Ukrainian National Police have seized nearly $1 billion in Russian assets, head of strategic investigation Andrey Rubel said in an interview with RBK-Ukraina news agency.
The official stressed that the seized money is being used to serve Ukraine's needs.
Mr. Rubel stated that Kiev had seized a Bell-427 helicopter, Gulfstream G650, 47 trucks, 55 vehicles and many other Russian assets.
In total, assets worth nearly $1 billion were discovered and seized. All of these are used for the interests and needs of Ukraine, including the needs of the military, Rubel said.
Ukrainian authorities began seizing assets of Russian businessmen and companies shortly after Moscow launched a military campaign in February 2022.
In March 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued an order for compulsory confiscation of assets of Russia and Russian residents. The following month, the Ukrainian parliament, Verkhovna Rada, passed a law aimed at naturalizing the assets of Russian companies, Russian citizens and Ukrainians supporting the neighboring country's military operations.
SBU - Ukraine's security agency and successor to the Soviet KGB - reported the seizure of a $677,000 fortune belonging to Russia's state energy corporation Rosneft. At the time, the oil giant said it had no assets in Ukraine.
In May 2023, SBU announced that it had seized all assets of Russian bankers Mikhail Fridman, Pyotr Aven and Andrey Kosogov.
Security agency SBU has pledged to transfer assets worth an estimated $422 million to the Ukrainian state. These assets include financial and insurance companies, telecommunications and information technology companies, as well as a mineral water plant.
In August 2023, Ukrainian Foreign Secretary Oleg Nemchinov announced that the frozen assets of Russia and Belarus amounted to nearly 2 billion USD.
At the time, Nemchinov said that Kiev had seized assets of three Russian banks, funds believed to be owned by Russian metal tycoon Oleg deripaska, as well as the Demurinsky mining and processing plant, which, according to the Ukrainian government, is owned by Russian businessman Mikhail Shelkov. In addition, vehicles, aircraft, 3,500 houses and 4,000 non-residential properties were confiscated.
Moscow has criticized any move to seize Russian assets as blatant and illegal " appropriation". Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the measures "possible to be dangerous" and warned that Russia could take all act of seizure to international court.
The West has also frozen about $300 billion in Russian assets. These countries are divided on using Moscow's frozen interest to support Kiev.
