Russian in B.C. claims Scotiabank withholding funds over sanctions [Video]

A Russian woman who has been living and working in Canada for the last eight years says her money is locked in limbo due to sanctions against Russia’s largest bank, so she’s taking Scotiabank and the Canadian government to court.

Daria Zubashchenko’s legal action indicates it’s not just oligarchs who are caught up in Canada’s financial sanctions, which were imposed in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Her lawyer said others have come to him for similar reasons — but the amounts involved were too small to even justify going to court.

Zubashchenko filed two applications in Federal Court last month, one against the Bank of Nova Scotia, the other naming Global Affairs Canada and the Attorney General as respondents.

She says she’s a Russian citizen who has been living in Canada since 2016, holding a work permit and filing taxes each year.

She graduated from Simon Fraser University with …