A mother has been angry and bewildered at being ordered to shut her bank account - after sending small sums of money to her son living in Russia.

Catherine Copeland has held her account with Lloyds International Bank for more than two decades and kept it open when she moved to the Isle of Man in 2006.

Her son, former Laxey school pupil Hector Moore, 20, is a ballet dancer based in Moscow, where he is working as a soloist at the state-run Moscow Ballet Theater after graduating from the world-famous Bolshoi Ballet Academy last June.

While he was a student, Catherine supported him by sending monthly payments of £50 to £100 using a third-party transfer service called Profee.

She said these payments were legal and fully regulated.

However, the closure of Catherine’s account comes amid escalating tensions between Russia and Western governments following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

In response, many UK and European banks have introduced tighter controls and due diligence measures when dealing with transactions linked to Russia, even in cases where no sanctions are breached.

Financial institutions have become increasingly cautious about maintaining relationships with customers who transfer money to the country, due to the complex regulatory environment and perceived reputational risks.

Catherine, who now lives in Tring, Hertfordshire, said: ‘A month ago, with no warning, Hector’s own personal Lloyds bank account was closed with a letter stating that “they can no longer continue a banking relationship with him,”’ she said.

‘This was after his account was frozen and he received what can only be described as an interrogatory style phone call demanding to know why he was in Moscow and how he was receiving funds.

‘Since then, I received a letter from Lloyds stating I have 30 days to close my account, and Hector has been informed that his account will now be staying open.

‘The bank refuse to comment on why they are closing my account, but it seems clear to me that the reasons are political.’

Catherine said she has no political interests and believes her actions were misinterpreted.

‘I have absolutely no political affiliations, I don’t even watch the news,’ she said. ‘I simply sent my hard working and talented son some pocket money to buy food and necessities, and the irony is that they closed my account when I no longer needed to send him money as he’s totally independent now.’

She added: ‘As soon as they emailed me the letter notifying me it would be closed, they immediately just shut me down. They said they didn't require to give any sort of explanation, and sent me an attachment of how to go about complaints.

‘It's just an inconvenience, and I don't care if I never bank with Lloyds again - I just think the principle is just wrong.’

Catherine said she was careful in choosing how to send money and had thoroughly researched the service she used.

‘It complies with all EU regulations and security standards,’ she said.

‘I checked it thoroughly, and in fact, before they would let me send any money to Russia, I had to go through a six-week vetting process anyway.

‘It’s a completely legal process and I'm not some master criminal. The worst I’ve done is get a parking ticket and that was 25 years ago!’

Catherine and her family moved to the Isle of Man 19 years ago after regularly visiting on holiday.

Hector attended Laxey Primary School and began dancing with Dancer’s Barre in the village, a ballet group founded by Rachel Withington.

At the age of 11, he was accepted into the Tring School of Performing Arts, and the family relocated permanently to Hertfordshire to support his training.

His experience in ballet has developed ever since, culminating in his graduation from the Bolshoi Academy and professional debut in Moscow.

Although Hector’s Lloyds account has now been reopened, Catherine remains disappointed that hers will be closed with no explanation given.

A spokesperson for Lloyds International did not say why Catherine’s account was being closed, but confirmed Hector would be allowed to retain his.

The spokesperson said: ‘We have advised Mr Moore that he can retain his bank account with us, after we received new information from him that meets our criteria.

‘We have contacted Ms Copeland regarding her account and are currently unable to comment further.’