In marking two years since Russia invaded Ukraine, U.S. unfurls criminal and civil actions
Feb. 23 (UPI) -- Ahead of the grim two-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the United States on Thursday unfurled sweeping civil and criminal actions, including indictments filed against sanctioned oligarchs.
The Justice Department on Thursday announced five separate cases by Task Force KleptoCapture.
"Today, the United States Department of Justice is more committed than ever to standing with our partners in Ukraine against Russian aggression," Attorney General Merrick Garland said Thursday in a recorded statement.
"We are more committed than ever to ensuring that the Russian perpetrators of war crimes in Ukraine do not get away with them. And we are more committed than ever to cutting off the flow of illegal funds that are fueling Putin's war and to holding accountable those who continue to enable it."
On Thursday, the Justice Department unsealed charges filed in New York against sanctioned oligarch Andrewy Kostin for participating in a scheme to evade sanctions and launder funds to support two superyachts worth a collective $135 million. Vadim Wolfson, 56, of Austin, Texas, and Gannon Bond, 49, of Edgewater, N.J., were also arrested and charged Thursday on accusations of being facilitators of Kostin's sanctions-evasion scheme.
In Florida, a grand jury returned an indictment charging sanctioned pro-Russian Ukrainian oligarch Sergey Vitalievich Kurchenko in a scheme to violate U.S. sanctions by doing some $330 million in business with people inside the United States.
In Washington, D.C., a superseding indictment was unsealed charging Vladislav Osipov with bank fraud in connection to his operation of a 255-foot luxury yacht federal prosecutors have said is owned by sanctioned Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselbert.
The Justice Department also filed a civil forfeiture complaint in Florida as federal prosecutors seek to secure two Miami luxury condominiums worth some $2.5 million owned by sanctioned oligarch Viktor Perevalov.
And in Georgia, Feliks Medvedev pleaded guilty to participating in the laundering of $150 million for his Russian clients.
Task Force KleptoCapture was launched by the Biden administration in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. With the mission to isolate Russia from the world, the task force targets Kremlin officials and oligarchs for violating sanctions, export restrictions and other economic countermeasures imposed by the United States and its allies on Moscow over its war.
It has so far secured the forfeiture of nearly $700 million worth of assets and has brought charges against more than 70 people for violating international sanctions and other punitive measures placed on Russia.
"So long as Russia's aggression continues, so too will our resolve to hold its enablers accountable," Garland said. "We stand firmly with the people of Ukraine."
