Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska. Photo: Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP via Getty Images
Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska has been charged with violating sanctions, the Department of Justice announced in an unsealed indictment on Thursday.
Driving the news: The indictment accuses Deripaska of violating sanctions from 2018 by using three defendants "to provide hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of services for his benefit in the United States," per the indictment.
- U.S. prosecutors unsealed charges on Thursday against Deripaska along with three others, including Olga Shriki, a New Jersey resident and naturalized U.S. citizen, who was arrested Thursday, per the DOJ.
The big picture: Deripaska was among the dozens of allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin who received sanctions in 2018 for allegedly interfering in the 2016 election, Reuters notes.
What they're saying: "The indictment unsealed today signals the United States’ ongoing support for the people of Ukraine in the face of continued Russian belligerence," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a DOJ statement.
- "Despite his cozy ties with the Kremlin and his vast wealth acquired through ties to a corrupt regime, Deripaska did all he could to lead a life in a stable, free, democratic society – even if that meant lying and evading U.S. sanctions," said Andrew C. Adams, the director of Task Force KleptoCapture.
- "The hypocrisy in seeking comfort and citizenship in the United States, while enjoying the fruits of a ruthless, anti-democratic regime, is striking."
Editor's note: This story has been updated with new details throughout.
Go deeper... Here are the Russian oligarchs speaking out against invading Ukraine