Canada Has Lifted Sanctions Against Chubais
- 29.08.2026, 17:02
The Minister of Internal Affairs received a request from Chubais and considered the grounds to be sufficiently compelling.
Canada has removed the former head of “Rosnano” and former special representative of the Russian president Anatoly Chubais from its sanctions list. This is according to an official notice published on the website of the Canadian government on August 26. As stated in the document, the decision was made on August 13. Chubais remains on the sanctions list, however, the restrictions no longer apply to him: item No. 1509, under which the former head of “Rosnano” was listed, has been removed from the list. The sanctions imposed against Chubais included an asset freeze and a ban on entry into Canada.
The rationale for the decision states that the Minister of Internal Affairs received a request from Chubais to be removed from the list and deemed the grounds cited therein sufficiently compelling to grant the request. However, Chubais’s specific arguments are not disclosed in the document. The authorities merely noted that for the sanctions regime to be effective, it is important that it be applied fairly.
Chubais left Russia shortly after the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, stepping down from his post as the Russian president’s special representative for relations with international organizations. Afterward, Vladimir Putin referred to him as “some Moshe Izrailevich” and claimed there was a “huge financial hole” at “Rosnano,” which Chubais had headed for many years. Shortly thereafter, the former top executive’s bank accounts and assets were frozen in Russia.
According to Chubais’s lawsuit filed in the Federal Court of Canada, he challenged the sanctions, asserting that he had “historically” been in opposition to Putin, had spoken out against the war in Ukraine, and had been “in exile” since 2022. The restrictions were imposed in June 2025 after the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) included him on the so-called “List of 50” — a list of people in Putin’s inner circle compiled after the death of Alexei Navalny. Chubais emphasized that the sanctions are causing him serious harm, as his Russian assets have been frozen and he can rely only on foreign income, which is also at risk. In his lawsuit, the former head of “Rosnano” also pointed to the significant reputational damage caused by being placed on the list, which puts him in the same category as those whose actions, he claims, he opposed.