Organizers of the Donbas blockade give Ukrainian government two weeks to close the subsidiary of Russia’s Sberbank
The organizers of blockade of the Donbas announced their intention to stop the work of Ukrainian subsidiary of Russian Sberbank within two weeks, as announced at a press conference by the second commander of the Donbas Battalion, Anatoly Vinogorodsky.
"In two weeks, if the government does not close this bank, we will close it ourselves and all its branches in Ukraine," he said.
"We are giving two weeks’ notice to all clients of Sberbank of Russia, so that they can withdraw all their deposits. We support Minister Avakov (Minister of Internal Affairs), who said that the bank's actions are anti-Ukrainian and illegal," Vikogorodsky said, adding that government and law enforcement agencies have to make sure that the funds from the bank wouldn't be transferred to the "aggressor country."
At the same time, in answering journalist's questions about the blockade's headquarters’ plan to shut down the bank's branches or stop their work, Vinogorodsky said that he is not going to announce the details yet.
Earlier it was reported that the President of Ukraine, the Cabinet of Ministers, and the NBU (The National Bank of Ukraine) are considering imposing sanctions against the Ukrainian subsidiary of Sberbank of Russia after its parent, Sberbank of Russia, started recognizing passports issued by the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics. The Minister of Internal Affairs, Arsen Avakov, called for the closure of Sberbank branches in Ukraine.
Sberbank of Russia announced that starting on March 7th all branches of the bank are ready to provide services to customers with passports issued by the DPR and LPR.