Former director of Sberbank free from sanctions. US updates list after lawsuit

The US Ministry of Finance announced on Tuesday that it had removed the former director of the Russian Sberbank, Aleksandra Buriko, from the list of people subject to sanctions. The woman was among a group of management board members of this state-owned bank who left their jobs shortly after the institution was subjected to American sanctions.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) did not provide a reason for lifting sanctions on Buriko. She was the only Russian citizen to be removed from the list this week.

Buriko, who served as CFO and vice president of one of Russia's largest banks, was placed under sanctions in May 2022 as part of broad restrictions against Russian financial institutions in connection with Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Just over a week later, she and a number of other board members resigned from their position.

The Interfax agency reported then that the changes occurred as part of the “transformation of the management model and new strategy” of Sberbank.

The woman filed in December 2024. a lawsuit against the administration of then US President Joe Bidenarguing that since she no longer holds a position at the bank, she is unfairly subject to sanctions. Representatives of the Ministry of Finance told the court in documents that they were negotiating the lawsuit.

Before her role at Sberbank, Buriko served as director of the large aluminum concern Rusal, owned by oligarch Oleg Deripaska. She also left that position due to sanctions imposed on this company.

From Washington Oskar Górzyński (PAP)

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