Russia Freezes 3,500 Individual Accounts Connected to Terrorism

According to the head of Russia's Financial Monitoring, some 3,500 accounts of individuals suspected of terrorist activities and extemism have been frozen.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russia has frozen approximately 3,500 individual accounts that are suspected of being involved in terrorism and has launched 62 criminal cases over financing terrorism, the head of Russia’s Financial Monitoring said Monday.

“Overall we have frozen somewhere around 3,500 accounts of individuals on a list who are connected with terrorist activities and extremism,” Yuri Chikhanchin told Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting.

He said that the fight against financing terrorism had advanced and that 62 criminal cases had been launched in the country.

In early February, Russia put forward a draft resolution at the UN Security Council, aimed at cutting off finance to the Islamic State and Nusrah Front militant groups, devastating large parts of Syria and Iraq.

The resolution was unanimously adopted on February 12, with bans on the purchase of oil from militant groups and trading in looted antiquities coming into effect as well as a call for the international community to end ransom payments to extremists.

According to the ICSR think tank, between 800 and 1,500 Russian nationals have travelled to Iraq and Syria to take up arms against government forces and allied militias.