MOSCOW, December 18. /TASS/. The Bank of Russia has not yet disclosed the names of the European banks against which it plans to file lawsuits in a Russian arbitration court or the amounts involved, the regulator’s press service told TASS.

"The Bank of Russia is not yet naming potential defendants, but we are referring to those institutions that are unlawfully retaining and blocking the Bank of Russia’s ability to dispose of its assets. The procedure for enforcing court rulings, as in the case of the lawsuit against Euroclear, will be determined after the court decision enters into legal force (if the claim is satisfied). It is too early to speak about any assessment of the assets of such banks," the press service said.

The Bank of Russia said earlier on Thursday it plans to seek to recover losses from European banks in a Russian arbitration court resulting from the unlawful freezing and use of its assets. "In connection with ongoing attempts by the European Union authorities to carry out the illegal seizure and/or use, without the consent of the Bank of Russia, of its assets placed in EU financial institutions —including through the establishment of indefinite immobilization of those assets —the Bank of Russia, in line with its previously stated position on protecting its interests, announces that it will seek to recover from European banks in a Russian arbitration court losses caused by the unlawful blocking and use of its assets, in the amount of the illegally withheld assets and lost profits," the regulator’s press service said.

Earlier, the press service of the Moscow Arbitration Court told TASS that the Bank of Russia’s statement of claim against Euroclear totaling 18.1 trillion rubles ($226.6 bln) had been received by the court.

On December 12, the Bank of Russia told TASS that the regulator intends to file a lawsuit against Euroclear with the Moscow Arbitration Court. The claim is related to damage caused to the Central Bank by Euroclear’s unlawful actions.

The Bank of Russia noted that the procedure for enforcing a court ruling using the defendant’s assets (Euroclear), including those located in foreign jurisdictions —both friendly and unfriendly countries —will be determined after the court decision enters into legal force.

The amount of damages consists of the value of the Bank of Russia’s blocked funds, the value of blocked securities, and lost profits.

The filing of the lawsuit is, among other things, due to the European Commission’s officially announced plans to indefinitely freeze the Bank of Russia’s funds, as well as intentions to use these assets for transfer to third parties.

The Russian regulator also said it was considering the possibility of protecting its interests in international courts and arbitration proceedings, with subsequent enforcement of such rulings in UN member states.

The EU and G7 countries have frozen around 300 bln euro in Russian assets. Of this amount, 185 bln euro are held at the Belgian depository Euroclear. The European Commission is currently seeking a decision by EU countries to expropriate Russian assets under the guise of a "reparations loan" scheme in order to use these funds to finance Ukraine in 2026-2027.