The resignation of Konstantin Babkin from the board of directors of Buhler Industries may have quelled some potential negative fallout for the company during the global outrage at the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

But there are calls from others for the Canadian government to sanction Babkin, who has close ties to Russian president Vladimir Putin, and two other remaining Russian directors of the Winnipeg agricultural equipment company — Dmitriy Udras and Yury Ryazanov — who are all senior officials with the Putin-friendly Action Party (or Party of Action).

Babkin has made recent public comments in support of the recognition of the Ukrainian districts of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent republics and another comment giving tacit endorsement of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Marcus Kolga, a senior fellow with the Macdonald-Laurier Institute who has worked with Russian dissidents for many years, believes Babkin’s resignation does not go far enough.

"You are seeing the same sort of activity happening around the world," he said. "Oligarchs who have foreign assets are either divesting themselves of them, or resigning from various positions to try to insulate themselves from this coming wave. They know sanctions are coming."

Some, including Henry Reid, the former Canadian ambassador to Kuwait tweeted Wednesday saying, "Time for Canada to issue sanctions on the Russian owners of Canadian companies (including Buhler). Profits from these companies support Russia."

Global Affairs Canada placed sanctions on a list of another 18 Russian individuals earlier this week. But that list did not include the Buhler directors.

Kolga said he was shocked that a business person like Babkin would be so public in his support of the Russian backed breakaway republic.

"The fact that Canada has sanctioned Russian parliamentarians who support that motion and a guy like this (Babkin) who runs a political party supports it and… is quite frankly enabling Putin’s current behaviour makes this guy a pretty prime candidate for Canadian sanctions."

Kolga said also he believes the on-going Russian leadership will not be helpful for Buhler.

"I don’t think any Canadian company will benefit from any association with any Russian entity at this point," he said.

Robert Mackidd, a retired export service provider who did export work for Buhler a decade ago, believes that Buhler is a well-run company but the Russian influence on its operations casts a negative pall over the company.

"The Russians have to go" he said.

But meanwhile, in the commercial marketplace, there are some who believe Buhler has taken the right steps.

Adam Reid, the company’s head of sales and marketing was named to the board as well as Ossama AbouZeid, a former president of Buhler.

AbouZeid also has a history of doing work in Russia. He was formerly a senior official with the Winnipeg construction company, Central Canadian Structures, which was one of the most active Canadian companies in Russia in the early 1990s during the period of glasnost.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca