In some cases. The financial sanctions, including the freezing of assets, funds and other economic resources, are directed at specific persons, companies and institutions.

However, they may also impact other Russian citizens or other natural persons resident in Russia. For example, German banks are prohibited from accepting deposits from Russian citizens with a total value of over EUR 100,000 (per credit institution). However, this does not apply to natural persons that have temporary or permanent residency in an EEA Member State.

The Deutsche Bundesbank provides detailed information on the topic of financial sanctions in the document “Frequently asked questions on financial sanctions”. The Deutsche Bundesbank also has a “financial sanctions service centre” hotline, which can be reached on +49 89/2889-3800.

No. Fraudulent e-mails claiming to relate to sanctions on Russia have been circulating widely. These phishing e-mails are sent by fraudsters that wish to obtain your details. If recipients of such e-mails click on a link contained in the e-mail, they will be taken to a phishing website.

BaFin recommends that consumers never respond to fraudulent e-mails of this nature, and instead stay vigilant and report them to the police or the public prosecutor's office. If in doubt, please feel free to contact BaFin. You can reach the consumer helpline free of charge on 0800 2 100 500. Further information about the various types of scams that target your sensitive data can be found here.