Russian Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina will not attend this year’s St. Petersburg International Economic Forum because she is on sick leave, a spokesperson for the regulator told the news outlet RBC on Thursday.
Nabiullina was originally scheduled to speak at two panels on cyber fraud and economic growth at Russia’s flagship business and investment event on Thursday. Her name was suddenly removed from the list of participants ahead of the sessions.
State Duma lawmaker Andrei Makarov, who moderated one of those panels, said the Central Bank chief was unable to attend for “objective reasons.”
A source close to one of Russia’s state corporations told the business newspaper Vedomosti that Nabiullina actually skipped the forum to attend the funeral of her adviser Alexei Mozhin, who died at age 69 on Wednesday, SPIEF’s opening day.
The Central Bank did not elaborate to RBC whether Nabiullina fell ill herself or was going to Mozhin’s funeral.
At the economic panel Nabiullina was set to join, top Russian financial officials claimed the country has achieved absolute financial sovereignty and must permanently abandon any expectations of Western sanctions being lifted.
Nabiullina’s third and final term as Russia’s top financial regulator ends on June 24, 2027. President Vladimir Putin is legally required to submit a nominee for her successor to parliament no later than March 2027.
