Federal agents and New York City police raided two residences in the state this Thursday with ties to Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg, who is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, several U.S. media outlets reported.
The Manhattan apartment, as well as the Long Island mansion associated with Viktor Vekselberg, were searched by agents of the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Police (FBI) and the New York Police Department.
Last March, the Spanish Civil Guard, along with the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, confiscated a $90 million yacht from Vekselberg as part of U.S. sanctions against Putin’s allies over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
U.S. authorities are currently investigating Vekselberg for tax fraud, money laundering and document fraud, and for concealing actual ownership of the luxury yacht to avoid sanctions, but have yet to indict the oligarch.
All Vekselberg’s assets in the United States are frozen, and American companies are prohibited from doing business with the oligarch and his companies.
In March, the US included a group of oligarchs close to Putin in sanctions against Russia for invading Ukraine to isolate them from the Kremlin leader.
Thursday’s searches are related to an investigation into an oligarch who heads the Renova group, a Moscow-based conglomerate that combines metals, mining, technology and other assets, NBC reported, citing sources connected to the trial.
According to the latest UN figures, the military offensive launched on February 24 in Ukraine has already led to the flight of more than 13 million people – more than six million internally displaced people and more than seven million to neighboring countries. this migration crisis was the worst in Europe since the Second World War (1939-1945).
The Russian invasion, justified by Russian President Vladimir Putin as the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security, was condemned by the international community at large, which responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and imposing sanctions on Russia.
So far, the UN has confirmed 5,663 civilian deaths and 8,055 injured, stressing that these figures are much lower than the real ones.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
