Freeze of Russian assets one of biggest thefts - Russian official

Russian Security Council Deputy Secretary Alexander Venediktov deemed the freeze of the Russian assets to be one of the greatest thefts in history.

Following the start of the war in Ukraine, Western countries imposed various forms of sanctions on Russia from a ban on Russian gold to removing its banks from the international SWIFT monetary system, although the decision to freeze around half of Russia's foreign assets - nearly $300 billion - has been deemed a step too far by many political leaders and analysts.

"The freeze of the Russian assets is one of the greatest thefts in history. The paradox is that perpetrators of this crime are those who have earlier assumed responsibility for maintaining the global economic architecture," Venediktov said.

The Russian official also warned that the West's decision could lead to the collapse of the international Bretton Woods system of monetary management.

Read more: Reckless US sanctions on Russia trigger global inflation - The Global Times