French Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said that some 850 million euros in assets of Russian oligarchs, which include yachts, apartments and bank accounts, have already been frozen in connection with the war in Ukraine.

"We have immobilized (...) 150 million euros of personal accounts, of lines of credit in France, in French establishments," said the minister, during the radio and television program Grand Jury RTL/Le Figaro/LCI and quoted by Lusa.

In addition, "539 million euros in real estate on French territory, corresponding to about thirty properties or apartments" were frozen, and "two yachts were immobilized for 150 million euros," the governor detailed.

"In total, that's almost 850 million euros of property, assets of Russian oligarchs, that are frozen on French territory," Bruno Le Maire added.

In practice, this freeze means that the owners of these assets cannot "use, market or monetize" them.

"On the other hand, they are not seized in the sense that the state would become the owner and could market them. For there to be seizure, there has to be a crime," the minister specified.

"The sanctions are hurting Russia, hurting the Russian state, hurting [Russian President] Vladimir Putin," Bruno Le Maire stressed the Russian central bank's immobilization of 22 billion euros of assets.

Russia launched a military offensive in Ukraine on February 24 that caused at least 847 deaths and 1,399 wounded among the civilian population, including more than 140 children, and caused some 5.2 million people to flee, including more than 3.3 million to neighboring countries, the latest UN data indicate.