The United States blocked the money laundering channel of Russian oligarchs

US authorities have imposed sanctions against Russian citizen Ekaterina Zhdanova and her cryptocurrency exchange accounts. Through them, he helped Russian oligarchs and cybercriminals move hundreds of millions of dollars overseas, the US Treasury Department said.

It noted that the sanctions against Zhdanova are in line with G7 commitments to combat sanctions evasion and close loopholes that allow the Russian state, its elites, proxies and oligarchs to use virtual currency to neutralize the effect of international sanctions.

“Because of key proxies like Zhdanova, Russian elites, ransomware groups, and other illicit actors have attempted to evade US and international sanctions, particularly through virtual currency,” said the Undersecretary for Countermeasures by the US Treasury Department. Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson.

According to the department, last March Zhdanova helped a Russian client hide the source of his wealth to fraudulently transfer more than $2.3 million to Western Europe through a fraudulent investment account and real estate transaction. In another case, he helped a Russian oligarch transfer more than $100 million to the UAE.

We remind you that on November 2, the United States introduced new sanctions against Russia. Restrictions include drone developer Lancet, members of the Russian government, banks, the metallurgical and mining sector, and defense procurement.

Earlier, the media reported that next week the European Commission will present proposals for a new package of sanctions against Russia.