Ukrainian authorities have confiscated 1,592 Russian-owned railway cars carrying commercial cargo. Their total estimated value is about 2.2 billion hryvnias. The State Property Fund is to transfer them to Ukrzaliznytsia.
This was announced by Prime Minister Yulia Svirydenko.
She said that the cars belonged to sanctioned residents of the Russian Federation, in particular, VEB-Leasing, the state development corporation VEB. RF, JSC Gosudarstvennaya transportnaya leizovaya kompaniya, JSC Nord — a subsidiary of Sberbank Leasing, and other Russian companies in the field of finance and logistics.
Before the full-scale invasion in 2022, Svyrydenko says, the Russians transported them through the territory of Ukraine and the EU countries. After the outbreak of hostilities, they remained in Ukraine and were arrested. Last year, by a decision of the National Security and Defense Council, put into effect by a decree of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, approved by law, they were confiscated.
Currently, according to the Prime Minister, the government has approved the decision to designate the State Property Fund as the management body for these wagons with their subsequent transfer to Ukrzaliznytsia for use.
“With this decision, we are launching a mechanism for seizing the aggressor's property and its further use. The estimated cost of the cars is about UAH 2.2 billion,” Svyrydenko said.
The Head of the Cabinet of Ministers added that the cars are “in working condition” and can be used until the end of their service life for freight transportation, including military ones.