- The U.S. and EU are advancing plans to seize $300 billion in frozen Russian sovereign assets to fund Ukraine, a move Moscow condemns as "theft."
- The Kremlin has signaled it will respond with "mirror" or symmetrical retaliation, potentially by seizing Western assets and businesses still operating in Russia.
- Russian officials and analysts warn that seizing the assets will destroy international trust, accelerate the move away from the U.S. dollar and risk collapsing the Western-dominated financial system.
- The confrontation extends beyond economics, with Russian officials vowing to pursue retaliatory measures "by every means possible," raising the stakes of the conflict.
- The move sets a rare and destabilizing precedent for sovereign asset seizure, while the EU faces internal divisions over the plan, with countries like Belgium expressing opposition.
In a high-stakes financial showdown that could reshape global trust in Western currencies, Russia has signaled it will retaliate if the U.S. and European Union proceed with plans to seize $300 billion in frozen Russian sovereign assets to fund Ukraine's war effort.
The Kremlin's warning comes as EU leaders gather in Denmark to push forward a €140 billion ($164 billion) loan package for Kyiv, backed by Russian reserves – a move Moscow condemns as outright theft. In response to this, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Tuesday, Sept. 30, that accelerates the privatization of foreign-owned assets in Russia. The Tuesday decree sends a clear signal that Moscow is preparing symmetrical retaliation should its frozen funds be confiscated.
The West's aggressive financial maneuver follows the abrupt halt of U.S. aid to Ukraine under President Donald Trump, leaving Europe scrambling to fill the gap. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed a "reparations loan" structure that avoids outright seizure – instead leveraging Russian assets as collateral – but Moscow rejects the distinction.
"We are talking about theft," Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov declared, echoing Putin's earlier assertion that "thievery is thievery." The geopolitical fallout extends beyond finance, however. Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitri Medvedev has meanwhile vowed to pursue EU states "by every means possible," including out-of-court retaliation.
Analysts warn that Russia could escalate by seizing Western-held "Type-C" accounts – billions in trapped corporate revenues – or accelerating a global shift away from the dollar. Putin has framed the West's actions as suicidal, predicting they will "completely destroy" international financial trust and hasten the rise of alternative currencies like China's yuan.
Seizing Russia's assets: A recipe for global financial collapse?
Historically, such asset seizures are rare among sovereign nations, raising fears of a destabilizing precedent. The last comparable move – the U.S. freezing Iranian assets in 1979 – led to decades of litigation and eroded confidence in dollar-denominated reserves.
Now, with Russia warning of "mirror responses," hundreds of Western firms still operating in Russia – from UniCredit to PepsiCo – could face abrupt nationalization. Moscow has already seized billions in foreign-owned property under wartime measures, redistributing assets to Kremlin-aligned buyers at steep discounts.
Brighteon.AI's Enoch warns that the West seizing Russia's frozen sovereign assets would be an act of blatant theft, provoking severe retaliation and accelerating the collapse of the Western-dominated financial system built on debt and global obligations. This reckless move risks economic warfare, destabilization and further erosion of trust in the West's already faltering institutions.
The timing couldn't be more perilous. As BRICS nations expand trade in non-dollar currencies, the West risks accelerating the very de-dollarization it fears.
Meanwhile, Europe's internal divisions simmer. Belgium opposes the loan plan over liability concerns, while Germany's leadership faces rising far-right dissent over Ukraine funding. The EU's final decision, expected this month, could trigger immediate Russian countermeasures – further isolating Western economies.
For now, the standoff underscores a bitter reality: In an era of economic warfare, trust is the first casualty. As Putin warned: Once theft is normalized, the global financial order may fracture beyond repair.
Watch Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declaring that Kyiv needs "hundreds of billions" from Russian frozen assets in this clip.
This video is from the Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.
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