Western attempts to auction off Russian financial assets that remain blocked in the West are being described as theft by Moscow’s diplomats. Artem Studennikov, who previously directed the European department of Russia’s Foreign Ministry, voiced this strong assessment in an interview reported by RIA News. The message from Studennikov is clear: the West is watching carefully and monitoring moves by representatives of the broad Western alliance, while Moscow stays vigilant about how these efforts unfold.
Studennikov argued that Western governments are attempting to manipulate the legal framework governing the process of seizing Russia’s frozen funds. He suggested that such maneuvers amount to theft, a charge levelled against those who would reinterpret or bend the rules to access assets that have been legally held in reserve. The diplomat warned that these moves could destabilize the structure of the international financial system and harm investment activity across borders.
In further remarks, he noted that Moscow understands obtaining a full return of the blocked assets could be a lengthy process. The persistence of frozen funds in Western jurisdictions remains a matter of priority for Russia, even as discussions and legal scrutiny continue. The Foreign Ministry spokespeople have previously characterized any prospect of using Russia’s frozen assets in the West as theft, underscoring the seriousness with which this issue is treated by the Russian side.
The broader implication, as outlined in the interview, is that attempts to change established legal mechanisms around seized assets risk creating uncertainty in global finance. Financial centers, regulators, and investors across Canada and the United States are encouraged to watch these developments closely, recognizing that the outcome will shape cross-border capital flows and confidence in the rule of law that governs asset freezes and restitution.
Observers note that while the international community seeks predictable and stable financial relations, the stance from Moscow emphasizes safeguarding sovereign rights over frozen resources. The dialogue continues, with officials from Moscow maintaining that the return of blocked assets will require time and careful legal consideration, while denouncing any unilateral steps that would treat frozen funds as an available resource for other purposes. This ongoing discourse reflects the high stakes involved in interstate financial policy and the limits of unilateral action in a tightly interconnected global market.