Dmitry Birichevsky, director of the economic cooperation department at the Russian Foreign Ministry, said Russia has additional measures to protect its interests in case the European Union proceeds with the seizure of the bulk of frozen Russian assets.
On the readiness of retaliatory measures and the principles for applying them
According to the diplomat, the Russian side developed the relevant measures in advance, although it does not yet plan to disclose their content. He stressed that Moscow has the capabilities to respond to possible unfriendly actions by the West.
Context of the frozen assets
Recall that the assets of the Central Bank of Russia were frozen in 2022 after the start of the special military operation in Ukraine. It was previously reported that the possibility of withdrawing Russian assets from the Belgian depositary Euroclear is being discussed at the expert level in the European Union.
- Moscow imposed restrictions on the disposal of funds by investors from unfriendly states
- Assets and income from them are accumulated in special type "C" accounts
- Withdrawal of funds from such accounts is possible only by decision of a special government commission
Earlier, Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service reported that the European Union is working on proposals to create a new supranational structure through which Russian assets could be withdrawn.
