Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has imposed sanctions on Russian president Vladimir Putin, spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, and nearly the entire Russian government, totaling 35 individuals on the blacklist.
The President’s decree cites the June 9, 2022 decision of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council regarding the application of personal, special, economic, and other restrictive measures. The measure takes effect on June 9 and is designed to be in force indefinitely, imposing 18 specific restrictions on those named. These include asset blocks within Ukraine, prohibitions on export and import activities, and limits on capital movement from Ukrainian territory. In addition, sanctioned individuals are barred from entering Ukrainian borders and from flying over Ukrainian airspace.
Sanctioned persons lose any Ukrainian state awards and are prohibited from owning land. Beyond Putin and Peskov, the list includes Security Council secretary Nikolai Patrushev and Russian prime minister Mikhail Mishustin, with ten deputy prime ministers also added: Andrei Belousov, Yuri Borisov, Tatyana Golikova, Alexander Novak, Victoria Abramchenko, Yuri Trutnev, Marat Khusnullin, Alexei Overchuk, Dmitry Grigorenko, and Dmitry Chernyshenko.
Additional restrictions cover defense minister Sergei Shoigu, foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, interior minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev, and justice minister Konstantin Chuichenko. Other targeted ministers include Maxim Reshetnikov, Anton Siluanov, Anton Kotyakov, Denis Manturov, and Nikolai Shulginov, who lead the ministries of Economic Development, Finance, Labor, Industry and Trade, and Energy respectively.
The list also extends to education and culture, with education minister Sergey Kravtsov, culture minister Olga Lyubimova, sports minister Oleg Matytsin, health minister Mikhail Murashko, agriculture minister Dmitry Patrushev, construction minister Irek Fayzullin, natural resources minister Alexander Kozlov, and transport minister Vitaly Saveliev among those affected. Also named are science minister Valery Falkov, digital development head Maksut Shadayev, and Far East and Arctic development minister Alexei Chekunkov. Notably, emergencies minister Alexander Kurenkov was not listed on the blacklist, though his predecessor Alexander Chupriyan was restricted before May 25.
Sanctions on 236 universities and 261 rectors
A separate Ukrainian decree targeted higher education, sanctioning 236 Russian universities and 261 rectors. The measure affects prominent institutions such as Moscow State University, Lomonosov Moscow State University, MGIMO, Moscow State Technical University, Bauman Moscow State Technical University, the Higher School of Economics, RANEPA, Moscow State Medical University Sechenov, and others. The sanctions are described as indefinite and include the suspension of scientific collaboration, cultural exchanges, educational programs, and sports contacts with foreign states and entities.
Among the named rectors are Viktor Sadovnichy of Moscow State University, Anatoly Alexandrov of Moscow State Technical University, Anatoly Torkunov of MGIMO, and Pyotr Glybochko of the First Moscow State Medical University. The restrictions involve asset blocks in Ukraine, halted financial obligations, withdrawal of Ukrainian state honors, and bans on technology transfers, intellectual property rights, and land purchases, along with entry prohibitions. The education minister, Sergei Kravtsov, who is also sanctioned, commented that these measures reflect Ukraine’s stance in the ongoing conflict.
According to Kravtsov, the sanctions signal a determination that complicates any possibility of easy negotiations. Ukrainian officials have framed the measures as a pressure tactic while underscoring a willingness to pursue dialogue under different terms in the future.
Meanwhile, Crimea’s head, Sergei Aksyonov, dismissed the sanctions as something that Kyiv hopes to overturn, predicting a future day when they would be lifted. These exchanges underscore the ongoing tension between Kyiv and Moscow and the broader international reactions to the sanctions regime.
What about negotiations?
Russia has not yet sanctioned Vladimir Zelensky, and Ukraine’s president has repeatedly stated openness to a personal meeting with Vladimir Putin to discuss settlement terms. Yet on a recent occasion Zelensky suggested that victory in the conflict should be pursued on the battlefield, while also reiterating readiness for peace talks on equal terms with the Russian president. He argued that the current stalemate is not a viable path for Kyiv.
Analysts offer varied takes on whether sanctions foreclose dialogue. Political scientist Andrei Suzdaltsev argues that Zelensky’s move reduces the chance of direct talks, saying the sanctions create a perception of intractability. He told RIA Novosti that the decision effectively makes the Ukrainian president a hostage to the situation. In contrast, Dmitry Suslov of the Valdai Club and the HSE Center for European and International Studies believes that a personal meeting could still happen in neutral territory, noting that sanctions primarily signal Ukraine’s reluctance to concede on key points.
Suslov added that the sanctions communicate Western expectations to Kyiv. Earlier, Zelensky had claimed that sanctions do not materially alter Moscow’s position and acknowledged Russia’s military advantage, attributing Ukraine’s slower progress to insufficient Western weapon supplies.
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