January 20 ------ President Zelensky signed a decree imposing new sanctions on pro-Russian politicians and propagandists in Ukraine, he announced. The ruling, which enacts a decision made by Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), marks another step in Kyiv’s efforts to root out Russian influence within the country. “We are blocking propagandists working for Russia, individuals who have sided with the enemy, and those aiding Russia in continuing the war,” Zelensky said in a video address. He added that further sanctions would be coming soon.
The decree also aims to strip state honors from individuals who have been linked to the Kremlin. “We are continuing to revoke state honors – only those who truly dedicate their lives to Ukraine deserve the title of Hero of Ukraine,” Zelensky said.
New sanctions target pro-Russian politicians
The decree names 18 individuals, including several high-profile politicians with documented ties to Russia. Among them are Yuriy Boyko, Nestor Shufrych, and Yevhen Muraiev, who have long been associated with pro-Kremlin narratives in Ukraine.
Boyko, who previously led the now-banned pro-Russian political party Opposition Platform – For Life (OPZZh), has come under scrutiny for promoting Kremlin-backed rhetoric. Just last month, Ukraine’s parliament urged Zelensky to strip Boyko of his Hero of Ukraine award after he repeated Russian propaganda claims about “radicals” controlling the streets in Ukraine. Awarded the title Hero of Ukraine in 2004 during his tenure as head of Naftogaz, Boyko has maintained close ties with Moscow for years. He and Viktor Medvedchuk, another former OPZZh leader, met with Russian officials in 2019, including Dmitry Medvedev and Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller, just months before the party secured 13% of the vote in Ukraine’s parliamentary elections. “The full-scale invasion has quite clearly shown people’s true colors,” Boyko told Kyiv Post in a past interview, referring to former OPZZh members who aligned themselves with Moscow following the invasion.
Shufrych, another key figure on the sanctions list, was previously detained in September 2023 for allegedly collaborating with Russian intelligence. According to Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), Shufrych had been involved in spreading Kremlin narratives and allegedly coordinated with Russian intelligence services to undermine Ukraine’s national security. Muraiev, who was sanctioned alongside Boyko and Shufrych, has been accused of working to establish a pro-Russian puppet government in Ukraine. In early 2022, British intelligence claimed that Moscow viewed Muraiev as a potential leader in a Russian-controlled Ukraine.
Zelensky has vowed that additional figures linked to Russian influence would face similar restrictions in the coming months.
Source: kyivpost.com
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