President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a decree on Jan. 7 to sanction 119 Russian and pro-Russian Ukrainian public figures, putting into effect a decision by the National Security and Defense Council.
The list covers many people who support Russia’s war against Ukraine, ranging from TV pundits to athletes and singers.
Among others, the list includes Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of Russian propaganda TV channel RT; Bulgarian-born Russian pop singer Philipp Kirkorov, a staunch supporter of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, and Russian comedian Yevgeny Petrosyan, who recently praised Russia's aggression at a New Year TV show.
Other people sancioned by Zelensky include Ukrainian TV presenter Zhanna Badoeva, who still works in Russia; Ukrainian-born singer Lolita Milyavska, who supported Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and spread Russia’s narrative about its war against Ukraine, and Ukrainian-born football player Anatoliy Tymoshchuk.
