Back in 1998, these were software engineers Fedor and Irina Taiakine who left Russia’s homeland and moved to Canada to live a better life.
“I like Canada, it seems to be governed by reasonable laws,” Fedor said.
But one thing that doesn’t make sense to them lately is how the sanctions imposed by Canada on Russia over the Ukrainian war affect the couple.
Since 2022, they have been working hard to transfer their funds in their Russian bank accounts back to Canada. He shared: “Two transfers from Russia, $700 each. They have been on hold for three years. It’s not big, but it seems unfair.”
The couple kept the money in Russia to help take care of older parents who have passed since then.
“Now we don’t need to be there anymore,” Feddo said. “What is the point of keeping the money there, what benefits [Russian President Vladimir] Didn’t Putin use it to spend or invest in Canada? ”
The couple is far from alone.
Olga Alova, another Canadian citizen living in Toronto, said she has been trying to transfer $16,000 from her Russian bank account over the past few years.
Like Taiakines, her bank attempts to be punished by sanctions imposed by the Ministry of Global Affairs aim to punish Russia in response to the Ukrainian conflict.
“The transfer has no explanation,” she told Citynews. “This illegal action, such as freezing of citizens’ funds that are not related to the actions of the Russian government, and they left Russia because of differences with government policies.”
People on this issue who reached out to the people said they agreed to sanctions on their former homeland but said they were not what Canadians should target.
“Canada said, ‘Oh, we’re very angry with Putin.’ Yes, I’m angry with Putin, but what they’re doing in our case is interfering with people’s normal lives in Canada, and it’s not about oligarchs or illegal activities.” “Be sure to follow the bad guys, but we’re not them.”
The Department of Global Affairs does allow Canadian citizens like this story to propose licenses to avoid sanctions on any financial barriers established. But everyone we spoke to had no response from a few years ago to come up with these permits.
“I have been trying to get information about my funds for four years, I have made countless requests for global affairs, through the Canadian CA website, and through local MPs,” Alova said.
The spokesperson’s corner contacted the Department of Global Affairs for a delayed response, but the spokesperson’s response was that they did not comment on the individual case, citing privacy issues.
“The license is granted on a special basis and a case-by-case basis and may be revoked at any point in time,” the spokesperson said. “Under the warrant for economic measures, the Foreign Minister has the right to issue licenses to Canadians outside Canada and Canada on an extraordinary basis to prohibit prohibited economic measures (Russian) regulations.”
The issue of frozen funds has also fallen into the court.
In December 2024, Daria Zubashchenko from British Columbia, a Russian citizen with a Canadian work permit, sued her bank, the Ministry of Global Affairs and the Attorney General after she tried it, but was blocked for about $90,000 in Russia, in the Russian Scotia account in Sberbank, Russia, in the Russian Scotia account, in the Russian Scotia account, by Sberbank Bank of Nova Scotia, which is by Sberbank of Canada, Canada.
The speaker’s corner talks about the story, saying they are not ready to go to court. They just want the answer.
“We haven’t been told for three years,” Fedor said. “I can see that my problem is nothing compared to the suffering people in Ukraine. But sanctions have to be more targeted, more up to the point, and prevent bad people from doing bad things, not us.”
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