In an interview with RIA Novosti, Dmitry Birichevsky, director of the economic cooperation department at the Foreign Ministry, said that Russia has prepared an action plan in case the European Union seizes the main part of the country's frozen assets.
According to him, additional measures to protect Russian interests are ready in case the main part of the assets is nevertheless seized. He also noted that they consider it inappropriate to disclose their essence prematurely.
The diplomat stressed that Moscow has something to counter hostile actions. "And this painful response will be carried out in full accordance with the principle of reciprocity in international relations," the agency's interlocutor said.
In September, the SVR reported that proposals were being developed at the expert level in the EU to create a new supranational structure to which Russian assets could be moved out of the Euroclear depositary, which is under Belgian jurisdiction.
The Central Bank's assets were blocked after the start of the special operation in Ukraine in 2022. Moscow took retaliatory measures: funds of foreign investors from unfriendly states and income from them are accumulated in special type "C" accounts. They can be withdrawn only by decision of a special government commission.