Deutsche Bank: Russian account blockages have become more frequent in Germany
Berlin systematically restricts the rights of Russians living in Germany. In particular, German banks began to block their accounts more often, the Russian Embassy told Izvestia. This is a problem that Vivid customers face, for example. The number of unjustified seizures of children from citizens of the Russian Federation by juvenile justice authorities is growing, and their property is also being confiscated when crossing the border. Experts believe that in this way Germany demonstrates solidarity with Ukraine, and restrictions are not expected to be lifted in the near future.
On what grounds are Russian accounts blocked?
In Germany, the accounts of Russians living there have become more frequent, the Russian Embassy in Germany told Izvestia. The situation was aggravated by the recent EU decision to include Russia in the list of countries with a high risk of money laundering and terrorist financing.
— In 2022, restrictions were introduced on the amount of deposits for Russian citizens — at the same time, the account cannot exceed € 100 thousand. Exceptions are made only for holders of a valid EU residence permit. Given the speed of implementation of European restrictions by national German departments, many compatriots faced blockages as early as mid-2022," the Russian diplomatic mission in Berlin stressed.
Subsequently, the pressure on them only intensified. Now even holders of a residence permit have to prove the right to use the account.
"The accounts of Russians are blocked or closed in a preventive manner if their owners are unable to reconfirm their valid residence permit as soon as possible," the Russian diplomatic mission said.
Additional obligations are imposed on banking institutions for in-depth verification of any transactions, providing the regulator with an expanded package of documents for opening and maintaining an account.
The time allotted for confirmation depends on the bank's policy, but on average it takes two to four weeks, according to German media. If the document is not submitted within the allotted time, access to funds and cards is limited.
The exact number of Russians who had to deal with this is unknown. You can only focus on the statistics of human rights organizations. For example, the president of the European Information Center for Human Rights, Harry Murray, told Izvestia that their organization alone received 131 appeals on this issue in 2022-2025. The total number is probably several times higher.
— At the household level, our citizens, of course, face numerous inconveniences. <...> Managers often explicitly hint that the Russian passport of the account holder itself is the problem, but for obvious reasons no one publicly recognizes this," the Russian Embassy in Germany clarified.
For example, Maxim, a Russian living in Germany (name changed), told Izvestia that Vivid and Revolut banks were closing accounts for clients with a Russian passport. In particular, his wife faced such a problem. Since January 1, 2026, Germany has stopped recognizing non-biometric Russian passports for issuing and extending residence permits, as well as for entering the country. Any doubt about the relevance of the data (for example, the expiration of a residence permit or passport) becomes the basis for the immediate blocking of the account.
German political scientist Alexander Rahr, in a conversation with Izvestia, noted that the German government seeks to inflict as much damage on Russia as possible. Since the sanctions against the Russian leadership and businessmen did not lead to anything, Berlin began to impose restrictions on ordinary Russians.
— Germany is not imposing sanctions for economic or military reasons. The German government is going to continue to put the most severe pressure on Russia — Berlin is thereby trying to emphasize solidarity with Ukraine," the expert explained.
According to open data, Germany is the leader among the EU countries in terms of the number of Russians living there (17-20% of all Russian citizens living in Europe). For example, in 2023, about 260 thousand Russians lived in the country, followed by Spain, where the figure is much lower — up to 100 thousand people.
What other problems do Russians face in Germany?
Account blocking is just one of the restrictions that Russians face in Germany. In December last year, the Russian Foreign Ministry called on fellow citizens to refrain from traveling to Germany amid incidents with Russians who, according to German law enforcement officials, violated the sanctions regime. One of the latest striking cases: representatives of the German customs seized personal belongings and money from a Russian woman, citing her violation of sanctions regulations.
— There are still cases of appeals from Russian citizens in connection with the seizure of personal belongings and funds by the German customs authorities, although they are not widespread. This is due to a significant reduction in the tourist flow due to visa restrictions imposed by the EU, as well as the lack of direct flights between Russia and Germany. In the period from 2022 to 2024, there were significantly more such requests," the Russian Embassy in Berlin told Izvestia.
The EU sanctions restrictions are presented as a legal justification for the seizures, according to which "luxury goods" are prohibited from being exported from the territory of the EU member states. These include, in particular, clothing, shoes, jewelry, and consumer electronics. Moscow considers these restrictions illegal, but urges Russians to take into account the current realities caused by the anti-Russian positioning of European countries.
Earlier, Izvestia reported an increase in complaints from Russians about the unjustified seizure of children by the German juvenile justice authorities. Under German law, the youth affairs office is required to intervene at the slightest threat to a child's well-being, such as in the case of complaints from neighbors or missed classes. According to Harry Murray, the European Information Center for Human Rights received 43 complaints on this topic in 2025 alone.
— This is just the tip of the iceberg, because we used to have several hundred requests per year. But after recent events, people are afraid to apply, feeling that, on the one hand, the system cannot be changed, and on the other, many are leaving for Russia," said the human rights activist.
According to the Russian Bar Association, violations of the rights of Russians and compatriots abroad are systematic. The maximum number of violations is recorded in Ukraine, the USA, Canada, the Baltic states, Poland, Moldova, as well as a number of Western European countries. A more noticeable problem, according to human rights activists, is the obstruction of the exercise of citizens' electoral rights, the practice of forgetting history and vandalism.
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