The Security Service of Ukraine has served a notice of suspicion to the head of a Russian bank that is introducing a "ruble zone" in the temporarily occupied regions of Ukraine, the SBU said on Tuesday, UNN reports.
Details
"The Security Service has collected evidence against Ruslan Arefiev, the chairman of the board of the Russian Central Bank, which finances Russia's war against Ukraine. On the instructions of the Kremlin and the Central Bank of Russia, the suspect is introducing the so-called "ruble zone" in the temporarily occupied regions of our country," the SBU said.
To do this, according to the SBU, "Arefiev, with the support of local gauleiters, opened more than 200 branches of the Russian bank in Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk." "After the capture of the left-bank Kherson region and part of Zaporizhzhia region, the suspect organized the creation of 27 more "branches" of the occupation financial institution there," the special service said.
For the most part, banks were opened on the basis of seized branches of local Ukrainian financial institutions.
In this way, the aggressor is trying to make all cash and electronic payments in the temporarily uncontrolled territories of Ukraine in Russian rubles, the SBU said.
"In addition, the occupation structures of CMRBank are involved in financing units of Russian troops fighting against the Defense Forces. Most of all, this concerns the payment of "salaries" to the occupiers and covering the costs of their "cantonment," the SBU noted.
It is also reported that "all bank settlements of the local occupation administrations of the Russian Federation are transferred to the branches of the Kremlin financial institution to the maximum extent possible".
Arefiev was served a notice of suspicion in absentia under Part 5 of Article 27, Part 3 of Article 110 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (intentional actions committed with the aim of changing the boundaries of the territory and state border of Ukraine in violation of the procedure established by the Constitution of Ukraine, which led to grave consequences).
СБУ обіграла спецслужби рф по всіх ключових напрямках – Малюк 26.03.24, 00:32