Vyacheslav Volodin
© kremlin.ruFILE PHOTO: Vyacheslav Volodin, Chairman of the Russian State Duma
Russia has threatened to seize assets held by European Union member states that it deems unfriendly if the EU proceeds with what it perceives as the appropriation of frozen Russian funds to support Ukraine's post-war recovery.

Vyacheslav Volodin, Chairman of the Russian State Duma, warned that Moscow would respond with measures that would incur a higher cost on the EU if it targeted Russian assets, many of which are situated in Belgium, reports Reuters.

Volodin accused certain European politicians, particularly European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, of contemplating the diversion of Russia's frozen funds to further the militarization of Kyiv.


Comment: It appears that the US started doing that in May of this year: US transfers first round of stolen Russian assets into 'Ukraine reconstruction fund'


He emphasized that such a decision would necessitate a proportionate response from Russia, resulting in the confiscation of assets from countries regarded as unfriendly exceeding the value of Russia's frozen assets in Europe.

Ursula von der Leyen had disclosed on Friday that the total worth of frozen Russian state assets was 211 billion euros ($223.15 billion) and highlighted the EU's determination for Russia to contribute to Ukraine's reconstruction.


Comment: This just shows how deluded von der Leyen's statements are, because the US hasn't finished using Ukraine against Russia, and Russia hasn't finished its special operation in Ukraine, so any ideas of 'reconstruction' are moot at the moment.


Volodin asserted that EU politicians were considering this course of action as a means to secure their positions and address the financial challenges they had imposed on their respective countries.