"It is well known that there is a recognition in almost all Western countries, including London, that such actions are absolutely illegal, and that there are no relevant laws. But the perverted logic is that such laws must be invented, and, as far as I understand, this is what the European Union and Washington are engaged in," Kelin said.
He added that he could not provide details on any specific cases, but said that "preparation of some kind of legislation that would move in this direction is indeed underway."
Earlier this month, EU leaders agreed to speed up legal work on seizing Russia-owned assets held in foreign banks to support Ukraine's reconstruction. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has described EU attempts to seize Russian money, including that of the Russian Central Bank, as theft.
Expulsion of Russian Diplomats From London Possible This Month
The Russian envoy did not rule out a new expulsion of diplomats from London as the anniversary of the start of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine approaches.
Kelin added that he was aware that certain "preparations are underway," but it remained to be seen what kind of unfriendly steps were going to be taken against Russia.
Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, in response to requests by the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics to help defend them from intensifying attacks by Ukrainian troops. The West responded by imposing comprehensive sanctions against Russia and providing military aid to Ukraine in the amount of dozens of billions of dollars.
UK May Deliver Its Challenger 2 Tanks to Kiev by March-April
Kelin also told Sputnik that London was likely to deliver Challenger 2 tanks to Kiev by March-April after completing a number of complex measures.
"The deliveries themselves are not planned now, this is a whole range of measures, which, apparently, will be carried out in March-April," Kelin said.
According to the ambassador, Challenger 2 tanks are technically quite complex equipment and at the moment the UK military is training Ukrainian crews to operate the tanks.
The United Kingdom is among Western countries actively supplying Ukraine with various types of weapons and training the Ukrainian military personnel amid the military operation that Russian launched in Ukraine a year ago. On January 15, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that his country would send 14 of its Challenger 2 tanks to Kiev. UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace later specified that the tanks could arrive on the front line in Ukraine before the summer, in May or closer to Easter.