Alexandra Buriko Removed from Russia Sanctions

Summary#

These final regulations, Regulations Amending the Special Economic Measures (Russia) Regulations, remove one person from Canada’s Russia sanctions list. The change takes effect on February 2, 2024, and lifts the Canadian prohibitions that had applied to that person.

What it does#

• Repeals Item 819 of Part 1 of Schedule 1, removing Alexandra Yurievna Buriko from Schedule 1 of the Special Economic Measures (Russia) Regulations.
• As a result, the specific prohibitions that had blocked people in Canada and Canadians abroad from dealing with her (for example, asset freezes, business or financial transactions, and certain travel-related restrictions) are lifted.
• The person’s name will be removed from the Consolidated Canadian Autonomous Sanctions List.
• The decision followed a delisting application and a ministerial review under the rules in the Special Economic Measures Act; the government said the individual no longer met the criteria for listing.

Who's affected#

• Primarily Alexandra Yurievna Buriko — the person whose name was removed.
• Any Canadians or people in Canada who previously could not legally deal with her (banks, businesses, or individuals) would now be allowed to, though the government says such dealings are unlikely.
• The change has no direct cost to businesses or government according to the notice, and it does not expand sanctions on others.

Why it matters#

• For the individual involved, this ends the specific Canadian restrictions that had limited travel and financial or commercial dealings with Canadians.
• For Canadian banks and businesses, it removes a compliance obligation related to this one name — they no longer need to block transactions with her.
• More broadly, it shows Canada applies a review process for sanctions listings and will remove people who no longer meet listing criteria. The delisting process includes a decision timeline (the Minister must decide within 90 days after an application), so this is an example of that system in action.