In an initiative, the SP is demanding that the Federal Council not only freeze the assets of sanctioned Russian individuals and companies, but also expropriate them and hand them over to Ukraine for the country’s reconstruction. «Switzerland has an above-average number of fortunes from sanctioned Russian oligarchs. It is only right that these benefit the country that is being destroyed by Putin, »said SP co-president Mattea Meyer to the “Sunday Newspaper”. Finally, it is also hard to imagine that Russia will participate in reparations payments.
Meyer receives support from bourgeois circles: FDP Vice President Andrea Caroni considers a transfer of Russian funds to Ukraine to be justified: “It is clear to me under international law that Russia owes damages due to the attack on Ukraine, which violates international law.” It is therefore appropriate “if we use the confiscated funds from Russia as a kind of payment on account for reconstruction.” However, it must clearly be money that “can be assigned to the Russian state and the leadership around Putin”. But you have to be careful if private assets are simply confiscated. Those people should have the opportunity to clearly distance themselves from Putin in order not to be sanctioned.
It is assumed that there are around 200 billion Swiss francs in Russian assets in Switzerland; according to the newspaper report, 7.5 billion Swiss francs have now been blocked.
