Justice Ministry starts confiscation of assets of Yanukovych-era ex-Interior Minister

Ukraine's Justice Ministry has filed a lawsuit against Vitaliy Zakharchenko, the former Interior Minister under Viktor Yanukovych. The Ministry of Justice asked the High Anti-Corruption Court to confiscate Zakharchenko's property in accordance with the law on sanctions, according to the Ministry's website.

It involves six properties, including two apartments in Kyiv, corporate rights and money in bank accounts.

Zakharchenko was Minister of Internal Affairs in 2011-2014.

After the Revolution of Dignity, Zakharchenko fled to Russia, where he spread Russian propaganda and justified aggression against Ukraine. He publicly supported the occupation of Ukrainian territories, for which sanctions were imposed on him in 2021 (valid until 2034).

In 2022, Zakharchenko, according to the State Bureau of Investigation, tried to persuade Ukrainian officials to cooperate with Russia by promising high positions in the occupation authorities. Oleksandr Vilkul , the head of the Kryvyi Rih Defense Council, also said that in the first days of the full-scale invasion, he received a call from Zakharchenko with a proposal to surrender the city to the occupiers.

Earlier, Zakharchenko was also notified of suspicion in the Maidan cases, for organizing a number of crimes of seizure of state power, abuse of power, misappropriation, embezzlement and seizure of property, premeditated murder, and infliction of bodily harm.=

• on February 4, 2023, Zelensky terminated the citizenship of 10 people, including former Interior Minister Zakharchenko.