By Sarah N. Lynch

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department charged Konstantin Malofeyev, a Russian oligarch with violating sanctions imposed against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. He was accused of providing financing to Russians supporting separatism within Crimea.

Merrick Garland, the Attorney General, stated that authorities have also dismantled a malicious global computer network known simply as “botnet”, which was controlled by a Russian military intelligence service.

Garland stated that the Justice Department would continue to make use of all its powers to bring to justice Russian oligarchs as well as others seeking to avoid U.S. sanctions.

A federal task force, “KleptoCapture”, was established by the Department of Justice last month. It is designed to increase Russia’s financial pressure on Ukraine to stop its invasion.

Russia claimed it carried out a “special military operations” against Ukraine on February 24, according to Western nations. This was despite the fact that Ukraine claims this attack was not provoked.

The U.S. has long held Malofeyev as one of the major sources of funding for Russians supporting separatism within Crimea. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.

Garland claimed that Malofeyev sought to circumvent American sanctions through the use of co-conspirators in secretly acquiring media outlets across Europe. The attorney general stated that the U.S. authorities took millions of dollars from an American account in a financial institution. This was to be traceable back to sanctions violations.

This announcement follows the Spanish police’s confiscation of a superyacht belonging Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg by American authorities. It is the first time that the U.S. has seized property from a Russian oligarch after its February invasion of Ukraine.

Garland spoke out about the Russian military intelligence-botnet and said that U.S. officials were able disable it before it was weaponized.

According to him, “The Russian government recently used similar infrastructure for attacking Ukrainian targets.” “We were able, fortunately, to interrupt this botnet prior it was used.”