Russian Foreign Ministry labels use of frozen assets as 'theft' and 'crime'

VLADIVOSTOK, September 1. /TASS/. The use of frozen Russian assets by European nations constitutes a crime and will be punished, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated at a briefing on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).

"The use of Russian sovereign assets, whatever they may be called, is theft. It is illegal. This is not just a violation of high moral and ethical standards. It is a direct crime, which is qualified accordingly and will be punished. Consequently, all who support it become accomplices. This includes those who engage in it and those who encourage, approve, or justify it. The appropriate legal classifications also exist," the diplomat said.

In this context, she was asked to comment on a statement by Belgian Minister of Defense and Foreign Trade Theo Francken, who said that his country is blocking and will not even discuss the latest attempt to expropriate Russia's frozen assets.

"Those who speak out and remind others that this is illegal are probably simply voicing the concerns of either reason or self-preservation. In this case, for Western European or EU officials, self-preservation at this stage is the highest manifestation of reason in the absence of it, which we indeed see and which is confirmed by their monstrous crimes and no less monstrous actions," Zakharova noted.

The Eastern Economic Forum is underway from September 1-4 in Vladivostok on the campus of the Far Eastern Federal University. The main theme of the EEF in 2026 is "The Far East: Development for the Benefit of People." The event is organized by the Roscongress Foundation with the support of the Russian government, with TASS serving as the general information partner.