MOSCOW

Russia warned on Thursday that if the European Union decides to seize its frozen assets, it may view it as a "casus belli," a Latin term meaning "case for war."

In a statement on the Russian media platform MAX, Deputy Secretary of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said: "If the unhinged European Union still attempts to steal Russian assets blocked in Belgium by issuing a so-called reparations credit, such actions under international law could be qualified as a special kind of casus belli, with all the ensuing consequences for Brussels and individual EU countries."

Medvedev added: "And then the return of these funds may occur not through a court, but through actual reparations, paid in kind by the defeated enemies of Russia."

Medvedev served as president of Russia from 2008 to 2012 and is known for his provocative statements.