West frozen about $590 bln in foreign assets — Shoigu

Lead

Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu has said that Western countries have frozen approximately $590 billion in assets belonging to Russia, Cuba, Venezuela, Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Libya, and Afghanistan. Speaking at the 21st meeting of secretaries of security agencies of Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states in Bishkek on May 14, Shoigu described the freezing of these assets as theft and urged world leaders to draw conclusions about storing national reserves in the West.

Coverage Comparison

The remarks were reported by TASS, which quoted Shoigu's statements in two separate articles. The first article focused on Shoigu's call for Western countries to release frozen Afghan assets and take responsibility for Afghanistan's post-conflict restoration. The second article covered his broader remarks on the total volume of frozen assets and his assessment of drug trafficking trends in Afghanistan. Both reports relied on direct quotes from Shoigu and did not include responses from Western officials or other parties.

Key Claims

Shoigu said that in February 2022, by decision of then-U.S. President Joe Biden, $3.5 billion was directed toward compensation payments to the families of victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks. He added that another $3.5 billion was transferred by the United States to a fund for humanitarian aid to the Afghan population, bypassing the Taliban government. He characterized these actions as theft, stating, "In other words, the money was stolen."

According to Shoigu, Western countries have frozen about $590 billion belonging to the listed nations. He did not provide a detailed breakdown of these funds. He also noted that the total amount of frozen Afghan assets specifically stands at about $10 billion, citing the blocking of Afghan assets by the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany.

On the topic of Afghanistan, Shoigu said that the area under cultivation and production of opium poppy has declined by more than 90% since the Taliban came to power. However, he noted that due to the difficult economic situation, about 4 million people remain involved in the cultivation of narcotic crops. He also pointed to a growing production of synthetic drugs, primarily methamphetamine, on Afghan territory, and reported that in 2025, more than 30 tons of this substance were seized on the borders of the emirate with neighboring states.

In a related meeting with Afghanistan's Defense Minister Mohammad Yaqoob during the International Security Forum, Shoigu said that Western countries should release frozen Afghan assets and recognize their responsibility for their presence in Afghanistan over twenty years. He said, "We are confident that the countries of the West must release frozen Afghan assets and recognize to the full measure the responsibility for their presence in Afghanistan during twenty years, and shoulder the entire burden of the post-conflict restoration of the country."

Shoigu also expressed opposition to the accommodation of military infrastructure and installations of the United States and NATO in Afghanistan or its neighboring countries. He said, "We proceed from unacceptability for us and for our Afghan friends of accommodation of military infrastructure and military installations of the United States of America and NATO in the territory of Afghanistan or its neighboring countries under any pretext."