The Ukrainian president imposed sanctions on representatives of Russia and pro-Russian publishing houses. The sanctions include key figures involved in Ukraine peace negotiations and Russian propaganda.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree imposing economic sanctions on Kirill Dmitriev, Russia’s special representative for cooperation with foreign countries, who participated in all negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine mediated by third countries in 2025. These negotiations were first held in Riyadh, then in Istanbul.
- Zelensky imposed sanctions on Russian diplomat Kirill Dmitriyev.
- Dmitriev played a key role in international negotiations.
- Several persons of Russian state administrations were hit with sanctions.
- The aim of the sanctions is to limit Russian propaganda and aggression.
- Pro-Russian publishing houses and their authors are also on the list.
Dmitriyev is currently being sent by the Kremlin for negotiations with the United States. Radio Sloboda (RFE/RL) reported about it on Sunday.
Sanctions on several persons and organizations
As the head of the Russian Fund for Direct Investments (RFPI), Dmitriyev is known in Slovakia in connection with the purchase of the Sputnik anti-covid vaccine, writes TASR.
The sanctions also concern the head of the Fifth Department of the Federal Security Service (FSB) Alexey Komkov, the head of the Main Administration of the General Staff of the Russian Army (former GRU) Alexander Zorin, who was a member of the Russian delegation at the negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul. The list also includes the Russian Minister of Agriculture Oxana Lutová, First Deputy Minister of Education Alexander Bugayev and Deputy Minister of Culture Andrey Malyshev.
Sanctions against Russian propaganda
Sanctions were also imposed on other persons, including employees of Russian administrations in the occupied territories, as well as on the former chairman of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, Oleksandr Tupytskyi.
In another document published by the Ukrainian president’s office, it is written that several Russian publishing houses were also on Ukraine’s sanctions list. Zelensky clarified on social networks that the publishing houses in question “work to justify aggression and spread Russian propaganda in the world.”
Details about publishers
The publishing house Knizhnyi mir, which presents itself as “one of the largest Russian patriotic publishing houses”, was sanctioned. Among its rock authors are Yuri Polekov, Andrey Fursov, Yegor Kholmogorov, Sergey Glaziev and others who support the war unleashed by Russia in Ukraine. The publishing house Vece publishes the so-called military-patriotic literature. Centrpoligraf is one of the largest Russian publishing houses, which also specializes in historical literature. Jauza publishing house also publishes books about the war in Ukraine written from a pro-Russian point of view. Among the authors of the Piter publishing house are, for example, pro-war publicists Dmitry Puchkov (Goblin), Klim Zhukov and Armen Gasparyan.
