Justice Department Announces Task Force to go after Russian Oligarchs

The House of Justice announced on Wednesday the creation of a task force to travel after billionaire oligarchs who have aided President Vladimir V. Putin in his invasion of Ukraine, a part of an endeavor by the US to seize and freeze the assets of those who have violated sanctions.

The task force will marshal the resources of varied federal agencies to enforce the sweeping economic measures that the U.S. has imposed as Russia continues its unprovoked assault on Ukraine.

The task force is going to be overseen by Lisa O. Monaco, the deputy attorney general. Andrew C. Adams, a veteran corruption prosecutor within the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan, will run the day-to-day operations.

The creation of the team, called Task Force KleptoCapture, adds to the raft of actions that Western leaders have taken in recent days in an attempt to undercut Mr. Putin and also the politically connected elite in Russia who are believed to possess close ties to him. By leveling potentially crippling sanctions on Russia’s financial institutions and freezing trillions of dollars in assets, the U.S. and its allies hope to push Mr. Putin to withdraw from Ukraine.