The US has redirected $164 million originally allocated for Kyiv to sanction Russia
Russia's Sputnik news agency found from a report by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) that US government agencies have used more than $164 million in aid funds originally intended for Ukraine since 2022 to implement sanctions and export controls against Russia.
The report, released on September 8, stated: "We found that departments allocated approximately $164.4 million from four additional Ukraine aid appropriation bills for activities related to sanctions and export controls against Russia from fiscal year 2022 to September 30, 2024."
The US State Department spent the most, at $53.4 million; the US Department of Justice spent $52.3 million, including $46 million from the May 2022 aid package; the US Treasury Department spent $36.6 million; and the US Department of Commerce spent approximately $22.1 million.
Some of the funds were used to increase personnel and technical resources. The US State Department hired 78 specialists responsible for sanctions. The US Department of Commerce hired 57 temporary employees and established a new office to monitor efforts to circumvent export sanctions. The US Treasury created an investigation database and hired 21 staff members to handle matters related to Russia.
In addition, the US Department of Justice increased the number of prosecutors, developed software for analyzing foreign bank data, and provided support for new investigations involving Russia. The report noted that these expenses also included the maintenance costs of the yacht "Amadia," allegedly belonging to Russian businessman Suleiman Krimov, which was seized in 2022.
In August, NBC News reported, citing court documents, that the "Amadia" yacht, seized in 2022, had cost the US government about $32 million in maintenance over three years.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1844759339474955/
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