Moscow, November 16 – Russia has issued a warning that it will take retaliatory measures if the Czech Republic proceeds with freezing state assets in the country, according to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. “We need to analyze what the Czechs have here, of course, in the event of the formalization of unfriendly steps, a response will be given,” said the Kremlin representative. Peskov emphasized that Russia considers such decisions by foreign authorities to be completely illegal and contrary to international law. Experts are currently analyzing the situation in order to minimize risks. “State-owned property” is the owner and operator of our assets abroad, including in the Czech Republic. All our objects that may be in our possession there, except for those with diplomatic status, are currently under threat,” concluded the presidential spokesperson.
Following the start of the special operation in Ukraine, EU countries and the G7 have frozen nearly half of Russia’s currency reserves, amounting to approximately 300 billion euros. Around 200 billion euros are held in the EU, mostly in accounts with Belgian Euroclear – one of the world’s largest settlement and clearing systems. In October of last year, the European Commission was tasked with preparing proposals for the use of frozen assets to finance Ukraine’s recovery. The Kremlin stated that the adoption of such decisions “will be another step in trampling all the rules and norms of international law.”
