BERLIN, April 19 (Reuters) - German regulator Bafin has appointed a special representative to help to run the European arm of Russian bank VTB, the watchdog said on Tuesday, having wrested control from its parent after fresh sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The appointment of a representative with executive authority aims to ensure the bank complies with rules on the minimum number of managing directors at a credit institution, Bafin said.

Together with the only remaining member of the executive board, the special representative will continue paring back the business activities of VTB Bank's European division, the watchdog said.

The European Union formally adopted new sanctions against Russia this month, including a ban on a range of imports as well as all transactions with four Russian banks, including VTB.

BaFin had said the sanctions meant that management at VTB's Frankfurt-based subsidiary was no longer allowed to take instructions from its parent bank and that the parent company cannot access the financial assets or economic resources of its European unit. (Writing by Miranda Murray and Christoph Steitz Editing by David Goodman)