OREANDA-NEWS The use of frozen Russian assets is illegal and is, in fact, theft, which will be punished, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

"The use of Russian sovereign assets... it is considered theft. It's against the law. This is not just a violation of high moral and ethical standards, it is a direct crime that has the appropriate qualifications and will be punished," Zakharova said at a briefing on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum.

She stressed that there are also separate qualifications for those involved in such activities.

"Those who speak and remind us that this is illegal are probably just broadcasting the voice of either reason or self-preservation. In this case, self-preservation at this stage is the highest manifestation of reason for European, Western European leaders, for the European Economic Community leaders," the official representative of the Russian ministry added.

Moscow has repeatedly called the freezing of Russian assets in Europe illegal. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia would respond if its frozen assets were confiscated by the West.
The Eastern Economic Forum is taking place from 1 to 4 September in Vladivostok. RIA Novosti is the general information partner of the WEF.