Russia hired lawyers to defend interests in countries where it's assets frozen

Russia has hired lawyers to defend interests in countries where Russian assets are frozen, said First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov in an interview with Rossiya 24 at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Friday.

"We do not recognize these actions as lawful. In countries where these procedures have been initiated, law firms have been hired, these are first class lawyers. The Justice Ministry and the Ministry of Finance are working on this issue, the funds have been identified, and we have appointed lawyers, and we are going to rely on the independence and impartiality of the judiciary system in the EU countries, to achieve an equitable solution" Shuvalov said.

Russia is ready to apply political pressure to its partners that made such steps to settle claims of companies affiliated with former Yukos shareholders, he said.

These developments are not meaningful at all for the investment climate, the First Deputy Prime Minister said.

TASS reported earlier Belgian bailiffs are attempting to use Russia’s property to settle claims made by Yukos Universal Limited. Actions to freeze Russian assets were also taken in France.