MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The actions against Russian banks' subsidiaries in Ukraine contradict international law, and Moscow will take all legitimate measures to protect them if necessary, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.
"We are closely monitoring the situation and will, if necessary, support and protect with all available and legitimate means the interests of our credit and financial institutions," Peskov told reporters.
He also said the situation in Ukraine was frightening in terms of its tendency to degrade, adding that the country was becoming much less investment-attractive.
"[Moscow is concerned] about the situation around our banks, about the restrictions which were imposed or will be imposed on Russian legal entities or their subsidiaries… This, of course, contradicts the international law," Peskov said.
Ukrainian radicals blocked the entrance into the central office of Sberbank, locking over 400 employees inside on Monday and continued to hinder the access to the bank the following day, according to the Bank's address to Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko, published Tuesday. Besides, the Sberbank and Alfa-Bank's ATMs in Ukraine have been subjected to vandalism by the radicals.
