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| Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Reveals the Value of Russian Assets Forcibly Seized by Ukraine |
Kiev - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country had seized about $765 million worth of Russian assets in the country. Zelensky made the confession on his Telegram channel on Saturday (6/8/2022).
“Having a meeting today on sanctions policy, confiscation of Russian assets. As government officials report, assets worth 28 billion hryvnia (about USD765 million) have been forcibly confiscated. This work continues," he said.
He added, “More than 900 Russian state-owned facilities are proposed for seizure. And if we evaluate the property package not only from the country (Russia), but also from its inhabitants, we are talking about 36 thousand items that will be confiscated.”
The seized assets will be used to compensate for the damage caused by the current military conflict in Ukraine, according to Zelensky. On August 5, Kiev approved a decree allowing 903 Russian-owned assets in the country to be transferred to the Ukrainian state and people.
According to Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal, property that Ukrainian authorities want to confiscate is divided into three categories: Russian state-owned assets, Russian citizens and companies subject to sanctions, and Russian banks. "It is proposed to confiscate 903 special property belonging to the Russian state. 79 items of company rights, 824 items of property," he explained.
According to Zelensky, this step is only the first step in the government's strategy to deal with Russian assets. The next step was the confiscation of Russian assets held in the West, allegedly for the same purpose of rebuilding Ukraine. Zelensky said the Ukrainian government and the president's office were working on this action together with a team of international experts, partners and allies in the West.