The Russian Federation Council has warned that Russia will respond symmetrically if sanctions are imposed upon it.
“If the countries of the West and the European Union adopt sanctions against Russia over the situation in Ukraine and the actions taken by our country to protect our citizens in this country, we will take appropriate measures and can legislatively seize the property, assets, and accounts of U.S. companies and those of other countries that will impose sanctions on us,” Andrei Klishas, the head of the Federation Council committee on constitutional legislation, told reporters.
Klishas said that a bill to this effect is currently being prepared. This bill, if adopted, will give the president and the government the right to freeze the accounts of foreign companies and seize and confiscate their property, the senator said.
The senator said he is confident that the bill will be backed by both chambers of the Russian parliament.
He recalled the example of Cyprus, where, as he said, “confiscation was one of the conditions for the provision of assistance to this country by the European Union.”
“We will respond to any sanctions imposed on Russia, and the response will be symmetrical,” Klishas said.
