Russia has decided to take the fight outside the ring. The world heavyweight and cruiserweight champion, Oleksandr Usyk, has become the protagonist of a new chapter in the conflict after the confiscation of his assets in Crimea, a region annexed by Moscow in 2014. The reason, according to the Russian authorities, is to finance the Ukrainian army.
According to the Russian authorities, Usyk has repeatedly organised fundraising campaigns to finance the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The move was announced on Tuesday by Vladimir Konstantinov, the Kremlin-imposed speaker of the Crimean parliament, who detailed on Telegram that the list of “nationalised” property has been expanded with the assets of 84 other individuals and legal entities. “They generate income in Crimea and use it to support Ukrainian Nazis,” he wrote, using the Kremlin’s usual rhetoric.
They generate income in Crimea and use it to support Ukrainian Nazis
The law that allows the confiscation of property
Russia also confiscated assets belonging to soldiers currently fighting on the front against Russia and other activists who raised funds, such as Volodymyr Prisiazhniuk, director of the Open Dialogue Foundation. Companies such as Tavrida Plaza, the TMM group and the Zasiadko mine have also been nationalised, among others.
“Efforts continue to identify the assets of persons capable of harming the interests and security of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Crimea,” Konstantinov said, adding that this “will put an end to any activity directed against our country”.
In early December, authorities in the federal city of Sevastopol reported that they had seized 11 businesses in the locality that were collaborating with the Ukrainian authorities.
In October 2022, the Crimean Republic Council passed a law allowing the confiscation of property from countries it considers unfriendly.
In this way, they nationalized properties of personalities such as the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky; former Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk; and the Ukrainian singer Jamala.
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