Restrictions on Access to Funds for Crimean Residents: New Realities of Occupation and Its Consequences
Since September of this year, residents of annexed Crimea have been facing new restrictions that significantly complicate their daily lives and threaten their financial security.
Under the updated rules, Russian banks have been granted the authority to freeze cash withdrawal operations from personal accounts for up to 48 hours if the transactions are deemed ‘suspicious’ or potentially risky.
This means that locals could find themselves without access to their own money for several days due to bureaucratic delays or formal reasons, causing considerable stress.
Additionally, failing ATM operations and bank branches that no longer accept cards exacerbate the situation.
Citizens are forced to wait in long queues for food and medicine, and now they risk being left without funds for days, which raises serious concerns about the socio-economic impact of the occupation.
Besides financial difficulties, Russian authorities on the peninsula have intensified their repression, conducting filtration measures and surveillance to identify those opposing the occupation.
Reports indicate that over the past week, internet access has been completely cut off in the region, further worsening the living conditions and communications of local residents.
This scenario reflects a broader pattern of increasing control and repression, leading to social upheaval and raising alarm among Ukrainians and the international community about the uncertain future of this strategic part of Ukraine.