Official: Ukraine told Cyprus of $420m Russian asset seizure

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — A Cypriot official says Ukrainian authorities have informed Cyprus about their seizure of $420 million worth of shares and securities linked to the east Mediterranean island nation that belong to a Russian billionaire and other businessmen. Cyprus government spokesman Marios Pelekanos told the Associated Press Tuesday that Ukraine raised the matter with “the relevant authorities of the Republic of Cyprus.” But he said “no information can be disclosed” on whether Cyprus-registered companies were used to shield the assets from sanctions imposed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine’s Prosecutor-General Iryna Venediktova in a social media posting identified the Russian businessman as billionaire Mikhail Fridman of Alfa Bank, a Russian lender with major operations in Ukraine.