Olga Ayziman Delisted from Russia Sanctions

Summary#

The federal government removed Olga Ayziman from the Special Economic Measures (Russia) Regulations. That change ends the Canadian restrictions that had frozen her assets and barred dealings with her. The amendment was registered as SOR/2024-14 and took effect on February 2, 2024.

What it does#

• Repeals Item 799 of Part 1 of Schedule 1 to the Special Economic Measures (Russia) Regulations.
• Removes Olga Ayziman from Schedule 1, so she is no longer listed under those sanctions.
• Ends the prohibitions that had prevented people in Canada and Canadians abroad from dealing in her property, entering into transactions with her, providing services to her, or otherwise making goods available to her.
• Removes her name from the Consolidated Canadian Autonomous Sanctions List.

Who's affected#

• Olga Ayziman — the person whose name was removed.
• People and businesses in Canada, and Canadians outside Canada, who were previously banned from transactions with her. They can now, in principle, deal with her.
• Global Affairs Canada, which manages listings and delisting requests.
• The government says it is unlikely that Canadian businesses will actually enter into new dealings with this person, and that there are no direct costs to business or government from the change.

Why it matters#

• For the individual, this lifts an asset freeze and travel/transaction restrictions in Canada. That can affect her ability to travel, access assets in Canada, or do business with Canadians.
• For Canadians and Canadian businesses, it removes a legal barrier to dealing with this specific person. In practice, the government says such dealings are unlikely.
• The change shows how the sanctions system lets people apply to be removed from lists if they can show they do not meet the listing criteria.