A Russian former central banker, who is on the US sanctions list, joined the board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Friday.
Ksenia Yudaeva is listed on the fund’s website as one of the directors. Previously, she served as an advisor to the governor of the Russian Central Bank.
The US Department of the Treasury placed Yudaeva on its sanctions list in April 2022, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine. She was accused of helping Russia circumvent sanctions imposed by Western countries in retaliation for the invasion.
IMF directors are responsible for the day-to-day management of the organisation and represent one or more countries. They form the 25-member Executive Board of the IMF.
The IMF’s former Russian director, Alexei Mozhin, announced in September that Yudaeva would succeed him. She is now listed on the IMF’s website as the director for Russia and Syria.
The IMF did not respond to Reuters’ questions regarding the issue.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the IMF ceased its annual discussions and visits to Russia. The IMF usually conducts these sessions with all member countries.
This year, it had planned to send a delegation to Russia for an economic assessment. However, after facing strong criticism from European countries, the organisation indefinitely postponed the visit.
Meanwhile, the IMF is providing significant support to Ukraine, which has been economically devastated by the Russian invasion.
The Eastern European country is receiving around €15 billion in funding in several tranches. These are the first IMF loans ever given to a country at war.
