OREANDA-NEWS  The volume of Russian private assets frozen in Switzerland under sanctions since February 24, 2022 has not changed since November 2022 and amounts to $8.6 billion, Fabian Mayenfisch, spokesman for the Swiss State Secretariat for Economics (SECO), told RIA Novosti.

"There have been no changes in the total volume (as of November 25, 2022 – ed.). However, new blocked assets are constantly appearing, and others are being unblocked - this is due to the fact that our explanations have shown that funds should not be blocked. Sometimes banks block funds as a precaution," he said.

Mayenfisch added that Bern is "closely following" discussions in the EU about the possibility of using the assets of the Central Bank of Russia "for investment purposes and directing their income to the restoration of Ukraine."

Switzerland has joined almost all European sanctions against Russia since February 24, 2022. Bern blocked Russian assets worth $8.6 billion. Swiss bank Credit Suisse (CS) has blocked or frozen more than a third of Russian assets registered in Switzerland - 17.6 billion francs (over $ 19.7 billion). Earlier, the Swiss government reported that about 7.4 billion Swiss francs of assets of the Russian Central Bank (more than $ 8.4 billion) are stored in the country.

In June, the country's Foreign Ministry spokesman Pierre-Alain Elchinger told RIA Novosti that Switzerland is ready to participate in international discussions on the confiscation of frozen assets of the Russian Central Bank. Bern believes that the confiscation of private Russian assets that were not acquired illegally is contrary to the federal Constitution and the current legal order.