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Russia is already in the process of minimizing any potential damage in the case of being disconnected from international financial instruments, but still regards the risk it may be denied access to the system of interbank payments SWIFT as hypothetical, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told the television broadcaster RT, Tass news agency reported. 

"The scenario of Russia’s disconnection from SWIFT is still regarded as hypothetical. Nevertheless, joint inter-departmental measures are being taken to minimize the risks and economic damage to our country that restricted access to customary international financial instruments and payment mechanisms might entail. At the moment various options are being considered of interfacing it with foreign counterparts, such as Europe’s SEPA, Iran’s SEPAM, and China’s CUP and CIPS," Zakharova said.

Earlier, the European Parliament at its session in Brussels on April 29 passed a resolution on Russia containing calls for sanctions against the gas carrier project Nord Stream 2, nuclear power corporation Rosatom and "Russian oligarchs", as well as for disconnecting Russia from the international payment system SWIFT in case of an "invasion of Ukraine."