Ukraine Imposes New Sanctions on Eight Russian Officials and Five Publishing Houses

Kyiv Targets Kremlin Officials and Propaganda Outlets

Kyiv, Ukraine – On November 9, 2025, Ukraine announced a new round of sanctions targeting eight senior Kremlin officials and five Russian publishing houses. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed two decrees, No. 834/2025 and No. 835/2025, to enact the decisions made by the National Security and Defense Council. The sanctions are a direct response to what Ukraine describes as their involvement in crimes against the nation, including the appropriation of Ukrainian property and the dissemination of anti-Ukrainian propaganda.

President Zelensky emphasized that 'Everything in Russia that is war-oriented must be blocked,' signaling Ukraine's resolve to counter Russian influence and aggression. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has been tasked with informing international partners, including the EU and the US, about these new measures and to advocate for similar restrictive actions.

Key Individuals Sanctioned

The list of sanctioned individuals includes prominent figures within the Russian government and security apparatus. Among them is Kirill Dmitriev, Russia's special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, who is also a financier closely associated with President Vladimir Putin. Dmitriev is accused of spreading propaganda and attracting Russian investments into key sectors of foreign economies. He has previously been sanctioned by the United States in February 2022.

Other sanctioned officials are:

• Oksana Lut, Russia's Agriculture Minister.
• Aleksey Komkov (also known as Alexei Komkov), an agent of the Russian Security Service (FSB) and head of its 5th Service, implicated in information sabotage.
• Oleksandr Tupytskyi (also known as Alexander Tupitsky), the former chairman of Ukraine's Constitutional Court, who fled Ukraine and is reportedly in Vienna. He faces suspicions of illegal border crossing and making propaganda statements, and has been under U.S. sanctions since 2021.
• Alexander Bugaev (also Oleksandr Buhaiov), First Deputy Minister of Education of the Russian Federation.
• Andrey Malyshev, Deputy Minister of Culture.
• Andrey Omelchuk, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education.
• Alexander Zorin, a Lieutenant General and Russian representative in the negotiating group for Ukraine in Istanbul, also identified as the head of a military intelligence department within the Russian General Staff.

These individuals are accused of various offenses, including the appropriation of agricultural property, grain crops, and cultural heritage sites, as well as conducting information operations against Ukraine and implementing Russian educational standards with anti-Ukrainian narratives in occupied territories.

Publishing Houses Targeted for Propaganda

The five Russian publishing houses now subject to sanctions are: Book World (also known as Knizhen Svyat or Knizhkovyi Svit), Veche, Tsentrpoligraf, Yauza, and Piter. These entities are accused of actively spreading Russian propaganda globally, justifying aggression, and fostering anti-Ukrainian sentiment and violence in the Russian-occupied regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.

Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Ukraine's sanctions chief, stated that efforts would be made to contact online retailers like Amazon to cease the sale of literature from these sanctioned publishers.

Context of Retaliation

These new sanctions by Ukraine come partly as a reciprocal measure following Russia's recent imposition of sanctions on several Ukrainian officials. On November 1, Russia sanctioned Ukraine's Prime Minister Yulia Svrydenko, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko, Advisor to the Defense Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov, and Economy Minister Oleksiy Sobolev. Ukraine views Russia's actions as attempts to prolong the conflict and legitimize the occupation of Ukrainian territories through propaganda and false 'sanctions' decisions.