UPDATE 2: IMF worried about vandalism against Russia banks in Ukraine

(Adds details in paragraph 5)

KIEV, Apr 10 (PRIME) -- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is concerned with vandalism against Russian banks in Ukraine, Chairwoman of the National Bank of Ukraine Valeria Gontaryova said at a press conference on Monday after announcing her resignation.

“We agreed macroeconomic forecasts, while the acts of vandalism were spreading. This is why the IMF was very worried and we even wrote an annex (to the memorandum) with the IMF, it has been already published, where we undertook to stop this lawlessness and this vandalism,” Gontaryova said.

She said that the IMF postponed its meeting because of the transport blockade of the eastern regions of Ukraine and a forced suspension of operations of affiliate of Russia’s Sberbank.

Previously, nationalists said they planned to block offices of all Russian banks in Ukraine from Monday permanently.

Sberbank said that its office in Kiev was blocked and that the bank turned to the police for help. Operations of the Kharkov office are suspended as well.

The local affiliate of Russia’s second largest bank VTB is operating, according to information obtained by PRIME.

End