According to the Federal Chancellery, €254 million worth of assets belonging to Russian oligarchs were frozen in Austria due to the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. The responsible task force, led by the Interior Ministry’s Directorate of State Security and Intelligence (DSN), froze the money in a total of 97 accounts. That’s more than double what Germany managed to report in March, the Federal Chancellery announced on Sunday.
Investigators were able to locate five property records that apparently served to conceal assets. Other suspected cases are currently being investigated, with the discovery of sanctioned assets being considerably more difficult by international company builds, trust companies and scarecrows. From May 27, a new reporting system will also be implemented, which will significantly increase the number of accounts and assets found.