(Dan Tri) – A box of vodka containing more than $1 million in cash was brazenly stolen from the headquarters of the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow last year, the Russian government confirmed after the press reported on the incident.

The tallest building is the headquarters of the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow (Photo: AFP)

REN TV channel reported on December 24 that about 1 million USD in treasury money was believed to have been stolen from a box of vodka.

The money, which REN TV said was transported by diplomats, was brought to the office of the leading expert of the finance committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Natalia Agaltsova, in two bags and a box of vodka that was

Ms. Agaltsova said she raised the alarm when counting the money and realized that the piles of $100 bills had been replaced with $1 denominations, causing more than $1 million to be stolen.

Iran must pay in cash due to US sanctions on its banking system.

The above TV channel said Ms. Agaltsova said she panicked when she discovered a large amount of money was missing and tried to make up for it with cash at the office, along with $200,000 in personal savings.

New revelations from the investigation team show that within 3 days at the end of 2019, the above amount of money was transferred out of the Russian Foreign Ministry in broad daylight.

Although the details of the incident remain unclear, REN TV aired an interview with a Moscow resident who claimed to be Agaltsova’s neighbor, and said that she and her partner had given him a car.

The Russian Foreign Ministry today confirmed to news agency RIA Novosti that a large amount of money was stolen from the building, and the case is currently being processed in court.

Previously, in 2019, a Russian government minister was arrested on suspicion of stealing public funds.

Mr. Mikhail Abyzov, who was in charge of the `Open Government` initiative, was arrested by Russia’s top security agency, the FSB, for allegedly embezzling more than 62 million USD.