Oviedo (Times Of Ocean)- Spanish authorities have frozen 12 bank accounts and funds belonging to Russian oligarchs, seized three yachts, and seized 23 properties since the Ukraine War began, the chief of staff of the prime minister said Monday.
Oscar Lopez said the assets had been seized as a result of sanctions imposed by the European Union on Russian oligarchs.
Spain has seized the yachts of billionaires Viktor Vekselberg, Alexander Mikheev and Sergey Chemezov in the last two months.
However, Spain’s actions against oligarchs have reportedly been limited due to a legal loophole that shields the identities of company owners.
According to El Pais, the government plans to enact new measures that will help identify the true owners of more suspicious assets, leading to many more seizures.
Lopez announced that 130,000 Ukrainian refugees had arrived in Spain. Of them, 5,400 are children who are already attending school.
Lopez explained that the war in Ukraine has affected cybercrime in Spain.
According to his speech, the number of cyberattacks in Spain decreased from 13,000 in 2020 to 10,831 in 2021, but that the attacks were becoming more damaging.