Finnish authorities have seized €3.7 million ($4.3 million) in Russian state funds to compensate Ukraine’s state-owned energy company Naftogaz for losses linked to Russia’s actions in occupied Crimea, Finnish public broadcaster Yle reported on Wednesday, June 3. According to Finland’s National Enforcement Authority, the funds were frozen this year as part of a compensation claim filed by Naftogaz and its subsidiaries against the Russian Federation.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The money originates from a now-defunct European Union cross-border cooperation program involving Finland and Russia. Russia had contributed approximately €3.7 million to the program before launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. After the program was terminated following the invasion, the funds remained under the control of Finland’s Ministry of Employment and the Economy. Finnish authorities have now placed the money under temporary seizure. Under Finnish law, the measure prevents the owner from transferring or disposing of the assets while legal proceedings continue. Part of broader effort to enforce compensation ruling The seizure follows a larger legal battle over compensation awarded to Naftogaz for assets seized by Russia after its occupation of Crimea in 2014. Last week, Yle reported that the Helsinki District Court approved the enforcement of a 2023 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, which ordered Russia to pay approximately €4.3 billion ($5 billion) in compensation to Naftogaz.