MOSCOW, December 25. /TASS/. Russia has developed a plan to address the potential seizure of its frozen assets, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said in an interview with Rossiya-24 TV channel.
"A relevant plan has been drawn up, and it will be implemented if such cases arise," he said.
Novak also stressed that Russia’s response would be sufficiently tough. "A relevant presidential decree has already been adopted, allowing for a mirror response should such decisions be taken. Naturally, this would be done on the basis of court rulings," the deputy prime minister noted.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that attempts to seize Russian assets in Europe amounted not to theft, but to outright robbery. The head of state also emphasized that Russia would defend itself in courts if its assets were confiscated.
The European Union and the G7 countries have frozen around 300 bln euro in Russian assets. About 180 bln euro are held at the Belgian depository Euroclear. Participants at a recent EU summit were unable to agree on the expropriation of Russia’s frozen assets under the guise of a "reparations loan" to Ukraine. Instead, a decision was made to allocate 90 bln euro to Kiev over the next two years through borrowing, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at a closing press conference.
On December 12, the Arbitration Court of Moscow received a lawsuit filed by the Bank of Russia against Euroclear seeking 18.2 trillion rubles ($230.38 bln). This amount includes the central bank’s blocked funds, the value of frozen securities, and lost profits. The Bank of Russia is also considering pursuing legal remedies in international courts and arbitration proceedings, with subsequent enforcement of such rulings in UN member states.