Statement of the Russian Embassy regarding the blocking of accounts of Russians in Greece

The Russian Embassy in Athens demanded to the Greek authorities to protect the legal rights of Russian citizens and prevent the blocking of their bank accounts in Greece.

The message from the embassy stated the following.

We are concerned about reports from Russian citizens in Greece about the suspension of servicing their accounts in Greek banks, without any warning or written notification. The blocking of accounts, as far as one can judge, is carried out on the principle of having Russian citizenship and, in some cases, is accompanied by a reference to the decision of the Council EU No. 2022/328 dated February 25, 2022, which, however, does not provide for non-selective restrictions on individuals. In some cases, families of Russian citizens are deprived of their only source of income. We call on the Greek authorities to intervene in the situation and take measures to ensure the legal rights of Russians.

Our publication reported that since March 18, almost all citizens of the Russian Federation who had deposits in Greek banks were locked checking accounts and cards. Tens of thousands of people, mostly those who have been living in Greece for a long time, have fallen into a difficult situation. The very next day, frightened and indignant citizens of the Russian Federation rushed to the banks, where it turned out that nothing serious had happened, and their problem was solved quite simply.

According to our reader, when he came to the bank, he was asked to provide a residence permit in Greece, they made sure that everything was in order, and after 30 minutes his account was unblocked.

When our interviewer talked about his adventure, he joked that his face on the passport was compared with the portrait of Abramovich and, not finding a resemblance, they breathed a sigh of relief, and then his account with 150 euros was immediately unblocked.