According to WSJ sources shortly after the invasion of Ukraine, Russia donated over $5 billion to Turkey (about PLN 20 billion). Theoretically, the money was meant to be to pay for the first Turkish atomic power plant.
"According to people acquainted with the investigation, they discovered that Russia and Turkey utilized the atomic task of 2022, to circumvent American sanctions imposed on the Russian central bank," wrote WSJ authors.
Two well-known US banks, JPMorgan pursuit and Citigroup, acted as intermediaries to handle payments. This attracted the attention of the Justice Department investigatorswho ordered banks to frost money transfer until the investigation was completed. However, Biden's administration blocked their actions without wanting to put Turkey at risk.
A typical of Trump's administration in a discussion with the "WSJ" assured that the fresh US authorities would review sanctions and take action against those who effort to circumvent them.
Big gap in sanctions
Russian state energy giant Rosatom operates worldwide and is an umbrella for many organizationswhich form atomic fuel, reactors, electricity, atomic ammunition, atomic equipment and chemical products.
The ‘parasol’ method is utilized to aid Russia avoid sanctions. About 4% of companies in the Rosatom structure are subject to sanctions, as Olena Łapenko says with think tank DiXi Group. any of these legal entities may call themselves investigation institutes, but import dual-use components for the military.
The United States frozen the reserves of the Russian central bank immediately after the invasion. However, Elvira Nabiullina, president of the Russian Central Bank, and another high-ranking officials have set the way to make a abroad dollar reserve to fund Russian interests outside the American eye, as sources of the "WSJ" inform.
All dollar remittances require operations through intermediary banks.Russia and Turkey agreed that the non-sanctioned Gazprombank would borrow around $9 billion (about PLN 37 billion) for a atomic power plant built by Rosatom, which was besides not subject to sanctions. However, the Russian central bank was to secretly fund the loan, And its only goal was not to build a power plant.. From Gazprombank the transfer was sent to the Turkish bank by American intermediaries.
EPA/YURI Kochetkov/ PAPGazprombank facility. Illustration image
"In accordance with Moscow's plan, atomic power plant She could transfer dollars to Russian companies., which would besides have accounts in the largest Turkish bank, the state-owned Ziraat," says the article.
According to the WSJ findings in 2022. Gazprombank transferred $3 billion (about PLN 12 billion) through Citi and 2 billion (about PLN 8 billion) through JPMorgan. The U.S. State Department noted payments, He started an investigation and blocked $2 billion. Before they got to Turkey.
The White home and the State Department got nervous. Biden's administration was afraid that The frost may undermine cooperation with Erdogan's government in efforts to stabilise Syria and the Gaza War.
"Some people say this is simply a large origin for concern: the Department of Justice suspects that 1 of Erdogan's top lieutenants, intelligence manager Ibrahim Kalin, was active in payments in 2022," the article says. Under Biden's rule, the White home asked the Justice Department to step down, but the “WSJ” reported that it was not yet known what Trump's administration would decide to do.
