European Union (EU) countries have frozen €35 billion of assets in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine during the first 5 1/2 weeks of the war, with France topping the list, having frozen assets and capital worth €23.5 billion.

According to "Bloomberg", quoted by the Economic newspaper, Germany, the EU's largest economy, followed France, seizing assets worth 341,600 euros, according to an April 5 assessment by the European Commission, the most recent such assessment. The week after this assessment, Berlin seized Russian millionaire Alisher Usmanov's superyacht "Dilbar," which was valued at between $600 million (€555 million) and $750 million (€700 million).

Most of the French allocation, €22.8 billion, involved funds from the Russian central bank. In the days following the February 24 Russian invasion, the EU banned all transactions with Russia's central bank in an effort to isolate Russia's economy and financial system. Russia has about 600 billion euros in reserves.

The decision to target the central bank was a first for an economy the size of Russia, and was an attempt to leave Moscow without capital, depriving policymakers of the access needed to support the foreign exchange market. It was also seen as a way to potentially limit Russia's ability to finance its war

Belgium has frozen assets worth 10 billion euros, which includes the impact of the withdrawal of seven Russian banks from the SWIFT international payment system, such as VTB Bank PJSC and Bank Rossiya.

Italy's total was €1.1 billion, with frozen assets including yachts and real estate in Sardinia and Tuscany. Ireland counts an asset freeze of €839 million and the Netherlands records a freeze of €516 million.