SBU blocks major scheme of "LPR" terrorists' financing

In Luhansk region, the operatives of the Security Service of Ukraine engaged in the Joint Forces Operation, together with the State Financial Monitoring Service, revealed and blocked the large-scale mechanism for financing the "LPR" terrorist organization, as announced by the SBU press center.

"The security service operatives found that a financial institution had been operating in the temporarily occupied part of the region, providing an illegal cash flow to the territory under the control of the Ukrainian authorities and in the opposite direction. In Luhansk, the financial center has ten branches and an extensive network of payment terminals. The perpetrators performed operations via the Internet Banking and transportation of cash by couriers across the line of demarcation," said the statement.

Security operatives have documented that in three banking institutions in the territory controlled by the Ukrainian authorities, the organizers of the scheme opened several dozen accounts for front persons, which were accessed via online services.

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According to the State Financial Monitoring Service, the total amount of funds of an illegal financial institution transferred through the national payment system alone exceeded UAH 60 million. From the money received for the provision of "services", businessmen paid taxes quarterly to the so-called "budget" of the "LPR".

Within the framework of criminal proceedings, the SBU, together with the State Financial Monitoring Service, blocked the operation of 30 accounts opened by representatives of the financial center in three Ukrainian banks.

During searches conducted in Severodonetsk and Stanytsia Luganskaya, law enforcers seized bank cards from a number of the criminals' accomplices, which were used to withdraw cash from ATMs to be handed to customers or couriers, as well as computer equipment with  financial reporting data.

The heads of the financial center were charged with committing a crime, provided for by Part 3 of Art. 110-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Investigative actions are underway to identify all those involved in illegal activities.