Ukraine Adds Two More Russians to National Security Threat List in 2023
The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine expanded the blacklist in 2023 by adding two more Russian figures to its national security threat list. This development was reported by Interfax-Ukraine. The ministry announced that Alexey Kravchenko, a Russian actor, and Yaroslav Dronov, the artist known by his stage name SHAMAN, are now listed among those considered a threat to Ukraine’s cultural and informational security.
Throughout 2023, Ukraine did not remove any individuals from the blacklist. In total, the 2022 version of the list contained 213 cultural and artistic figures, including prominent TV personalities Vladimir Solovyov and Dmitry Kiselev, singer Anna Semenovich, and blogger and translator Dmitry Puchkov. The inclusion of these individuals was tied to their support for Russia’s foreign policy and related actions in Ukraine.
By contrast, 2022 saw the removal of certain figures, such as comedian Maxim Galkin, who was flagged earlier as a foreign agent within Russia. Ukraine signaled plans during that period to establish a separate, “white list” of Russian artists who oppose Moscow’s activities in Ukraine, distinguishing between those deemed adversarial and those viewed as potentially more cooperative.
In a separate, sometimes controversial development, public commentary on cultural and political alignments has included remarks about other well-known personalities. While such statements circulate in global media, the Ukrainian government has focused its policy on identifying and listing individuals whose public stances are interpreted as posing a risk to national security.
These moves reflect Ukraine’s ongoing approach to managing cultural influence and information operations amid heightened regional tensions. Observers note that the boundaries between art, public expression, and national policy can become blurred in situations of geopolitical conflict, leading to ongoing debate about how such lists should be maintained and updated. (source: Interfax-Ukraine)