MOSCOW, November 24. /TASS/. UnionPay cards of Gazprombank are functioning normally in Cyprus, the credit institution’s press service told TASS.

"UnionPay cards of Gazprombank are functioning in Cyprus without restrictions. All financial operations with them are accessible for clients in full scope," the bank said.

Certain mass media reported earlier today that cards of Gazprombank and other Russian banks working with the UnionPay payment system have been blocked in Cyprus from November 17. Cards could be used until recently to pay for goods and services in Cyprus and withdraw cash in ATMs of the local payment system JCC.

Gazprombank is not in the list of Russian financial institutions under EU sanctions.

Authorities of Cyprus did not instruct their financial institutions about blocking of Gazprombank cards and this could be a unilateral decision of the payment service provider, the Finance Ministry of the Republic told TASS in its turn.

The JCC payment system referred to "new rules" preventing transactions with cards of Russian banks in response to the TASS request for a comment,.