01/29/2023 09:09 (act. 01/29/2023 09:09)
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy imposes new sanctions. ©AP, APA, AFP
Russian leasing subsidiaries of major banks Raiffeisen and Unicredit have been officially branded by Ukraine as “war accomplices” and have been subject to sanctions such as confiscation of assets.
This emerges from a decree by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, published on Saturday. A total of 182 companies and three people are affected. They are tasked with transporting military personnel and equipment by rail on behalf of the aggressor state.
money for national defense
According to dpa news agency, Zelenskyy said in his video message on Saturday night that confiscated available assets would benefit national defense. Belarusian companies that support Russia with transport are also on the list published in the evening. Ukraine is working to ensure that other states also block companies’ assets. At the same time, Zelenskyy thanked “everyone who is helping to strengthen sanctions against Russia” and the investigators who discovered and prosecuted Russia’s violation of sanctions.
Austria’s Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) has been criticized for its involvement in Russia. The Russian subsidiary of UniCredit, parent of Bank Austria, was managed from Vienna until 2016. RBI and UniCredit Austria are the largest banks in Austria after the Erste Group.