President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has enacted a decision of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council (NSDC) dated 18 April to impose personal special economic and other sanctions against 20 Russian performers, actors and athletes who support Russia's military aggression against Ukraine.

Source: decree No. 246/2025 issued by Zelenskyy

Quote: "The decision of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine dated 18 April 2025 On the application of personal special economic and other restrictive measures (sanctions) shall be put into effect."

Details: The decree comes into force on the day of its publication.

The sanctions envisage deprivation of state awards, blocking of assets, restriction of trade operations, prohibition of media distribution in Ukraine, etc.

This sanctions list consists of 20 individuals. In particular, actress Irina Apeksimova, actor Vitaly Gogunsky, actor and singer Nikita Dzhigurda, singer Yaroslav "Shaman" Dronov, film director Egor Konchalovsky, animal trainer Yuri Kuklachov, actor Oskar Kuchera, actor Yevgeny Mironov, actor Alexander Pankratov-Chyorny, ballet dancer Sergei Polunin, performers Nikolay Rastorguyev, Alexander Rosenbaum and Igor Sukachov, ballet dancer Nikolay Tsiskaridze, and rapper Roman "Zhigan" Chumakov.

Sanctions have also been imposed on some Russian athletes, particularly skier Yelena Välbe.

Background: On 19 January, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree implementing the National Security and Defence Council’s decision to impose sanctions on propagandists working for Russia and to strip several pro-Russian figures of state awards. Among those targeted were politicians and media figures whose awards were revoked and assets frozen, including Nestor Shufrych, Yurii Boyko, Yevhenii Muraiev, Oleh Voloshyn, Petro Symonenko, and Svitlana Kriukova, former deputy editor-in-chief of Strana.ua.

Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon !