Confiscation of Moscow’s property in favor of Kiev; A tempting idea but full of blind spots.
According to France 24, after Russia’s attack on Ukraine at the end of February last year, the unprecedented Western sanctions against Moscow led to the confiscation of about 350 billion dollars of government assets, foreign exchange reserves and the property of Rosh oligarchs by Western banks and authorities.
About a year after the beginning of the conflict, Western politicians and activists have put pressure on the officials and leaders of the European Union countries, demanding the transfer of these assets to Ukraine for the reconstruction of this country.
Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Chrystia Freeland, said at the World Economic Forum last month: “There has been a lot of damage to Ukraine, and the country that caused it must pay for the reconstruction.”
In December of last year, Canada for the first time started the legal process of transferring about 26 million dollars from the confiscated property of a company owned by Roman Abramovich, the oligarch of Roche and the former owner of the English Chelsea club; An action that Russia likened to “theft in broad daylight”.
The European Commission pledged earlier this month to “intensify its actions to use confiscated Russian assets to support the reconstruction of Ukraine,” and Poland and the three Baltic states have also publicly called for this to happen “as soon as possible.” to be Estonia has also announced its plans to take the lead in this matter.
Bill Browder, a former American investor and anti-Russian activist, said: Putin messed up and he has to fix it.
He, who is behind the “Magnitsky” law, (sanctions law against Russian officials involved in human rights violations in Ukraine), is now seeking to put pressure on European lawmakers.
