Zakharova: We will respond harshly to attempts to deprive Russia of its sovereign reserves

This Monday, February 12, the spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, stressed that Russia will respond rudely to unfriendly actions that attempt to appropriate and deprive them of their sovereign reserves.

“We consider any attempt by the West to seize our assets as theft. We will respond harshly to unfriendly actions related to attempts to deprive Russia of its sovereign reserves,” he said, announcing the plans of Western countries to use the profits of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine.

According to information published by the Russian Foreign Ministry, Zakharova commented that “the West has been trying for a long time to extend to our country the neocolonial practice of doing business in which Washington, Brussels and their satellites appropriate all rights and privileges and leave the other party only with obligations and losses.”

In that regard, he indicated that retaliatory measures aimed at protecting Russia's legitimate rights and interests will be justified, both legally and morally. “If Russian reserves are used as collateral, any person and fund that decides to buy the corresponding bonds will become the main candidate for our countermeasures, including financial and real estate,” he said.