Financial Investigations in Relation to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine
On 11 April 2022, Europol together with EU Member States, Eurojust and Frontex launched Operation Oskar, an umbrella operation comprising several investigations in relation to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Operation Oskar supports the freezing of criminal assets owned by individuals and entities that are subject to EU-sanctions in relation to the said invasion as well as investigations in relation to the circumvention of EU-imposed trade and economic sanctions. The tasks of the EU agencies involved are manifold. Europol, for instance, will centralise and analyse all information contributed under this operation to identify international links, criminal groups and suspects, as well as new criminal trends and patterns. Eurojust will provide legal assistance and support/strengthen cooperation between national investigating and judicial authorities. Frontex will undertake scrutiny measures in view of the persons who are crossing EU’s external borders (land, sea, and air) and fall under the scope of the sanctions.