Italian authorities have arrested a Russian businessman accused of assisting Artem Uss, the son of a Putin ally, in escaping house arrest in Italy last year.
Son of Putin Ally Escapes House Arrest
According to Reuters, Artem Uss fled to Russia in March 2023 after evading Italian authorities who sought to extradite him to the United States, where he is facing charges of bank fraud and shipping oil from Venezuela in violation of sanctions.
Prosecutors in Milan described the suspect as a 54-year-old Russian entrepreneur residing in Switzerland. They alleged he organized Uss' escape to Slovenia using cars registered in multiple countries and various phone numbers to mislead investigators.
Sources identified the arrested man as Dmitry Chirakadze, a Geneva resident. Chirakadze was apprehended by Carabinieri police at Rome's airport, returning from Sardinia.
READ NEXT : Joe Biden Administration Sanctions Hundreds of Companies to Choke Russia's Supplies of Military Technology
All About Artem Uss
Dmitry Chirakadze founded the Pravo.ru group and partnered in multiple Russian businesses linked to the Uss family. According to Reuters, he and his wife own a luxury resort in Sardinia and a hunting estate in Siberia.
Uss has been placed under house arrest but escaped the day after a Milan court authorized his extradition to the US. Although his tracking tag alerted authorities, he had already disappeared when they arrived.
However, a week later, he announced he was in Russia, leading to his father's resignation as governor of Krasnoyarsk. His father, Alexander Uss, has close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Following this, Italian authorities froze Artem Uss' assets in the country.
Join the Conversation