President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed decrees enacting decisions of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine on the imposition of sanctions against Russian commanders involved in missile attacks on Ukraine, as well as Russian religious figures who justify Russia’s aggression and spread Russian propaganda.
The first sanctions list includes 121 occupiers involved in carrying out mass missile strikes on Ukrainian territory.
In particular, these include commanders of long-range aviation units of the Aerospace Forces. Overall, since the beginning of its full-scale invasion, Russia has used more than 4,100 air-launched cruise missiles and aeroballistic missiles. These very units were responsible for strikes on the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital on July 8, 2024; an apartment block in Ternopil on November 19, 2025; the Amstor shopping center in Kremenchuk on June 27, 2022; and energy and transport infrastructure across various regions of Ukraine.
The commanders of naval forces that carried out strikes on Ukraine from surface ships and submarines carrying Kalibr cruise missiles. In total, Russia has used more than 1,500 missiles of this type in over 160 attacks on Ukrainian cities and communities. The commanders included in this list are responsible for strikes on Kyiv’s combined heat and power plants, energy infrastructure facilities in Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Volyn, Mykolaiv, and Odesa regions. Among them is one of the commanders of the 30th Surface Ship Division who ensured the combat readiness of the frigates Admiral Makarov and Admiral Essen.
Commanders of missile and artillery units of the ground forces who carried out strikes using land-based cruise missiles and Iskander-M ballistic missiles. In total, Russia has launched more than 1,100 missiles of this type to attack Ukraine. The commanders of these very units organized and coordinated strikes on the center of Sumy on April 13, 2025, where a Russian missile killed 25 people; on the center of Chernihiv on April 17, 2024, where 18 people were killed in a Russian attack; and on the village of Hroza in the Kharkiv region, where 59 people were killed.
“This is one of the first cases in which our intelligence services have been able to clearly identify more than 100 specific individuals who directly issue orders and carry out missile launches against Ukraine. They are ordinary terrorists who should be sanctioned in all jurisdictions,” said Advisor – Commissioner of the President for Sanctions Policy Vladyslav Vlasiuk.
The package concerning religious figures includes nine individuals who have publicly called for the killing of Ukrainians, openly support Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, and use religion to promote propaganda and justify Russia’s invasion of our country. These include representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church and affiliated structures.
Ukraine will share all necessary information on these two sanctions packages with its partners to ensure their synchronization across jurisdictions.