Ukrainian banker accused of bilking country of $315 million arrested in Germany

German authorities say they have arrested a Ukrainian banker wanted on an international arrest warrant alleging financial crimes in his native country.

Brandenburg state prosecutor Juergen Suelldorf, who is handling the extradition request, said Wednesday that Boris Tymonkin was arrested Sunday at the Schoenefeld airport outside Berlin after arriving on a flight from Istanbul.

Federal police said Ukraine accuses the 63-year-old Tymonkin of defrauding the state of 281 million euros ($315 million) and that he was being sought by Interpol on a Ukrainian warrant.

The Ukrainian Interior Ministry says the warrant was issued in May in relation to his suspected participation in a criminal organization headed by another wanted businessman, Serhiy Kurchenko.

Kurchenko, a major player in Ukraine's gas industry under ex-President Viktor Yanukovych, fled Ukraine after Yanukovych was deposed.