Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov promised a “reciprocal” response to the seizures of the Russian foreign property under the YUKOS case: the Russian courts may seize the property of foreign companies in Russia

Alexander Bolomatov, Partner of the Law Firm "YUST", told the RBC.ru portal that it would be difficult for Russia to react reciprocally to the actions of France and Belgium, because the existing legal system does not give such possibility, and it is unclear, who is to made responsible.

Imposition of any court seizure may only be done if there is a lawsuit against the respective countries. Alexander Bolomatov points out: “Such lawsuits may include, for example, a claim to compensate the damages caused by the actions of the respective countries. This case is regulated by the Civil Code, which contains the principle of immunity of foreign states against the claims from public functions of foreign states”. This means that one cannot file a lawsuit against France in connection to the actions of the property seizure in France, because France acts within the framework of its public activity.