Washington sent Ukraine $5.4 million confiscated from Russian TV mogul Konstantin Malofeev
The founder of the Tsargrad TV channel, Konstantin Malofeev, became the first Russian sanctioned, whose money in the West was not just frozen, but confiscated. Official Washington announced that it was sending them to Ukraine.
This is similar to a “response” from the States for the billion rubles that “Tsargrad” received from “Google” by decision of the Russian court last spring.
The story of the seizure of Konstantin Malofeev’s assets, as presented by the US prosecutor’s office, looks like this. Even before 2014, a Russian businessman invested $10 million in a Texas bank through a padding firm in the Seychelles. Then the founder of Tsargrad was included in the American sanctions lists as one of the sponsors of the DPR and LPR. However, nothing was known about his millions in a Texas bank in 2014. American officials believe that the Russian took advantage of this to withdraw money from the United States. Malofeev allegedly transferred control of the Seychellois company to his Greek acquaintance under a retroactive contract. And he, in turn, converted the bank’s shares into cash in order to withdraw them from the States and transfer them to Malofeev.
It can be assumed that the scheme to withdraw money from the United States was partially successful. There are two facts about this. Firstly, the US authorities seized only 5.3 million dollars, although initially the amount of 10 million appeared in the case. Secondly, none of the accomplices of the Russian mentioned in the case appeared before the court, therefore, one can guess that they got out of the States.
It is interesting why the US prosecutor’s office has now taken up the case, the plot of which concerns the events of eight years ago. It can be assumed that the scandal that erupted last spring between Tsargrad and Google served as a trigger for it. And it was like that.
The American corporation blocked the YouTube channel of the Tsargrad TV channel, which belongs personally to Malofeev. Explanation – violation of the conditions of the platform. Malofeev’s structures went to a Russian court and instantly won a lawsuit against an American corporation – she had to not only unblock the channel, but also pay a penalty. In total, bailiffs recovered 1 billion rubles from Google in favor of Tsargrad. The Internet corporation filed appeals and protests, reached the Supreme Court of Russia, but in vain. The decision on “Tsargrad” remained in force.
Whether the Americans linked these two cases is not known for certain. But Konstantin Malofeev clearly considers them episodes of the same game. He reacted to the news about the withdrawal of his millions in favor of Ukraine as follows: “For every dollar stolen, American Google will pay a thousand. We have a mechanism for this. Unlike the American one, it is truly legal.”
Malofeev also recalled that it was not the first time that Ukraine got his money. In 2014, he sent 1 million rubles to an account in a Ukrainian bank, which served as a “pod” for the people’s mayor’s office of Sevastopol under the leadership of Alexei Chaly. However, the bank is said to have stopped servicing the account.
Will the current story with the money of Konstantin Malofeev become a trial balloon for a mass campaign to withdraw funds from sanctioned Russians? Now the US prosecutor’s office has taken advantage of a special clause of the law that allows the confiscation of frozen funds if they were secretly trying to get them out of sanctions. Lawyers point out that only last year 10 criminal cases were initiated regarding the circumvention of sanctions. This may mean that Konstantin Malofeev will not be the only one whose assets will be transferred to the Kyiv regime.
While studying at the law faculty of Moscow State University, Konstantin Malofeev met his future business partners – Alexander Provotorov, who would later become a top manager of Rostelecom and Tele2, and the son of Prosecutor General Dmitry Skuratov.
The first job for fifth-year student Malofeev was offered by his teacher, the son of the last chairman of the KGB of the USSR, Dmitry Bakatin. This was a position at Renaissance Capital, one of the informal headquarters of Russian privatization. Among its founders are businessmen connected with the USA. The most interesting figure is Leonid Rozhetskin. This is a Leningrad mathematician who studied at Columbia University and returned to Russia in the early 1990s to become a consultant to the State Property Committee, then run by Anatoly Chubais.
In 2010, Konstantin Malofeev mysteriously received a 10% stake in the then reformed Rostelecom. At that moment, he held a position on the board of directors of Svyazinvest, where he was appointed by the Minister of Communications Igor Shchegolev (Shchegolev and Malofeev are considered old friends). A few years later, the company bought back its shares from Malofeev for 38 billion rubles.
From 2010 to 2015, Konstantin Malofeev appeared in a high-profile scandal with VTB Bank, which almost ended for the businessman in a criminal case of embezzling $225 million from the bank. The reason was a loan that Malofeev’s structures took from a bank and did not return, taking it offshore. After searches in his house, Malofeev agreed to satisfy the bank’s claims and paid the money.
The Western press considers Malofeev to be involved in the financial support of the French National Front party and notes his contacts with European ultra-right organizations.
US authorities thwarted attempts to withdraw Viktor Vekselberg’s property from sanctions
U.S. Attorney’s Office charged Vladimir Voronchenko, a Russian businessman living in the United States, with conspiracy to circumvent sanctions against Viktor Vekselberg, as well as money laundering and contempt of court. On each of the first two charges, the Russian faces up to 20 years in prison. According to US prosecutors, Voronchenko paid about $4 million to maintain the disgraced billionaire’s apartments and houses in New York and Florida. In addition, he tried to sell two of the four properties owned by Vekselberg. The estimated cost of all facilities is $75 million. In May 2022, FBI agents served Voronchenko with a subpoena, after which he fled from justice by flying to Moscow via Dubai. The prosecutor’s office is ready to confiscate “the proceeds of his crimes, including property” from the fugitive. Earlier, the US Department of Justice charged Russian and British businessmen Vladislav Osipov and Richard Masters with helping Vekselberg. US authorities believe they were trying to get the Tango yacht, attributed to the billionaire, out of sanctions.
