Zelensky imposed sanctions against Mikhalkov, Kirkorov, Petrosyan and 116 other people

On January 7, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree imposing personal sanctions against 119 Russian cultural figures, show business, political scientists and media managers. The document was published on the website of the office of the Ukrainian President.

Zelensky’s decree puts into effect the decisions of the National Security and Defense Council of January 6 to amend the list of persons subject to economic and other restrictive sanctions, it says. Among those sanctioned are singers Philip Kirkorov, Irina Allegrova, Anna Netrebko, Dmitry Bilan, Mikhail Shufutinsky, Larisa Dolina, Lolita Milyavskaya, Sergey Lazarev, Alexander Sklyar and Rodion Gazmanov, director Nikita Mikhalkov, TV presenters Dmitry Kiselev, Evgeny Petrosyan, Mikhail Galustyan, Leonid Yakubovich, editor-in-chief of the Rossiya Segodnya media group and the RT TV channel Margarita Simonyan, political scientist Alexander Dugin and others.

Also on the list is a citizen of Ukraine, TV presenter Zhanna Badoeva.

Sanctions were introduced for a period of 10 years. They suggest blocking assets on the territory of Ukraine if they are available, restricting trade operations, banning transportation and flights through the territory of Ukraine, depriving the country of state awards, stopping cultural exchanges and cooperation, etc.

In September 2022 Zelensky signed decree imposing sanctions on 606 representatives of Russian authorities. The list includes 28 members of the Russian Security Council, 154 members of the Federation Council and 424 State Duma deputies. In September, Ukraine imposed sanctions against more than 700 individuals and legal entities associated with the state corporation “Rosatom“. This happened against the backdrop of a visit by the IAEA mission to the Zaporozhye NPP.

In June 2022, Zelensky imposed personal restrictive measures against Russian President Vladimir Putin, his press secretary Dmitry Peskov, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Grigorenko, and others. In response, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry Sergey Lavrov said that Kyiv’s sanctions are unworthy of any retaliatory step on the part of Moscow. “I don’t think it’s worthy of any specific step on our part. Whatever the child is amused by,” the minister said in June.

Russian troops in the zone of the special operation in Ukraine continue follow ceasefire until 24:00 January 7. It is valid from 12:00 on January 6 and was introduced on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The head of state noted that a large number of Orthodox Christians live in the areas of hostilities, and called on the Ukrainian side to also declare a ceasefire. In Kyiv, the initiative was not supported. On January 7, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that the Armed Forces of Ukraine continue shelling settlements and Russian positions.