“We have repeatedly expressed our assessment of these actions; we consider them illegal—in fact, we consider it theft—and we view it accordingly,” Peskov told reporters on Thursday.

Following the start of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022, the EU and the Group of Seven (G7) froze Russian assets worth 300 billion euros.

About 200 billion euros are held within the EU, primarily in accounts at Euroclear, one of Europe’s leading securities settlement and custody service providers.

Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) reported on Tuesday that EU experts are studying ways to create a structure that would allow the frozen Russian assets to be “hidden” by transferring them out of the major European depository, Euroclear.

The Russian Foreign Ministry described the freezing of these assets as “theft” and noted that the bloc is targeting not only the funds of private investors but also Russia’s sovereign assets.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned of the consequences for Western nations should they confiscate Russian assets, emphasizing that the Russian government would respond symmetrically using Western assets frozen within Russia.

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