The European Council, in its decision of June 23, 2023 published in the Official Gazette of the European Union, which in turn amends the decision 2014/145/CFSP “About restrictive measures in response to actions that diminish or threaten territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine,” included in his list of Russian people and institutions sanctioned to the Foundation for the support of the rights of compatriots living abroadbetter known as Pravfond, and its president, the Russian diplomat Aleksándr Udaltsov.
In the first case, according to the legal text, for representing one “fundamental tool of the Russian soft power that plays an important role of support to the polarizing policies of the Government of the Russian Federation “in community territory. In the second case, as leader of the entity, for” supporting and implementing actions and policies that diminish and threaten the independence of Ukraine. ” ‘Rukovoditel’ (Russian supervisor) by Pravfond in Spain, Aleksándr Chepurnoy, firm contracts and even Subsidy receipts With a date after the entry into force of these sanctions, to guarantee the financing of their legal assistance activities to Russian citizens, as can be seen from the documents obtained by the International Journalistic Consortium headed by the project to denounce corruption and organized crime.
Firma de chepurnoy
In a letter dated May 2024 and signed by its handwriting, Chepurnoy Give acknowledgment of the first section corresponding to the 2024 year for the financing of the activities of the center “for an amount of 1,085 million rubles (approximately approximately 12.000 euros to the current change). From the statement of the letter, it is assumed that Russia’s house later received the second section of an annual total subsidy of 22.000 eurosaccording to the terms of the contract, also signed on April 2024, by the president of Casa de Russia in Alicante, to finance “the Center for Legal Assistance to Compatriots who live in Spain.” The monetary income They should be performed in the current account in the name of Chepurnay of a Moscow Banking Agency of the Raiffeisenbank, a financial entity of Austrian origin with great implementation in Eastern Europe and that has been indicated by different international investigations as a vehicle for money laundering from the Russian mafia and in which the name of an assumption has already been afraid of the time already feared the capo of the Russian organized crime, Semion Moguilievich.
Two receipts, signed by Aleksandr Chepurnay, who confirm the arrival of funds sent by Pravfond from Moscow, to the right dated 2022, prior to the approval of the sanctions, and the left, with date 2024, after the one in force of the sanctions. / Redacción
Of the emails examined also deduces that the Organization accounts They have been investigated by “the Spanish Economic Intelligence Service” in 2023, that is, after the implementation of the sanctions. From Spain, a interlocutor Linked to Russia’s house, he informed Moscow that “the audit” would not have consequences, although that yes, he regretted that the investigators did not inform the origin of the same, if it was motivated by a complaint or if it was due “to the sanctions” recently approved, from which it follows that the managers in Alicante of the funds were very aware of the community veto. “His visits, as a general rule without prior warning, have become quite frequent …”, prevents the text.
Screen capture of the agreement between Pravfond and Aleksandr Chepurnay for the reception of subsidies in 2024, to enter a Moscow account in the name of the president of the house of Russia in Alicante. / Redacción
The documents also demonstrate that, at least, Russia’s house in Alicante had funds sent by Pravfond since 2022, the year of the beginning of the war. In a message sent to the director of Pravfond in Moscow, Aleksandr Udaltsov, with a check -up of Chepurnay and seal of the house of Russia in Alicante, it is reported that the association has received the last section of 10,000 euros of the year 2022of an annual subsidy of 25.000 euros. It is an almost identical amount to that of 2024, the most recent of which you have news, which allows you to deduce that, despite the growing constraints suffered by the Russian economy due to the sanctions, for the Kremlin to provide resources to Pravfond to maintain its activities beyond its borders it remains a priority.
It is also noteworthy, according to experts, that 2022 subsidies are called in euroswhile those of 2024, already with the sanctions in force, are in rubles and enter a Moscow account. In a general assessment of the investigation published by ‘Le Monde’, who also participated in the investigation, the French rotary comes to the conclusion that Pravfond has used Various Methods to Evade the sanctionscontinue financing their activities and Not being detected by European banking authorities.
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