President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree enacting a decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine to impose sanctions on Russian propaganda outlets and judges who issued unlawful rulings against Ukrainians.
The sanctions package includes 29 individuals and 17 legal entities. Among them are judges involved in the criminal prosecution of Ukrainians in Russia and in the temporarily occupied Crimean Peninsula, as well as in the in absentia convictions of Ukrainian activists, journalists, and politicians.
Among them is Moscow judge Timur Vakhrameev, who has systematically issued politically motivated rulings against Ukrainian civilians and members of volunteer units. He facilitated the complete isolation of unlawfully detained Ukrainian journalists and was involved in the imprisonment of Victoria Roshchyna, who was tortured to death in Russian captivity. Her death became known on October 10, 2024, when she had already been included on a prisoner exchange list. Russia returned Victoria Roshchyna’s body to Ukraine only in February 2025, bearing numerous signs of torture.
The package also includes Russian propaganda outlets and their executives involved in the systematic spread of disinformation and Russian propaganda. These include Gazeta.Ru and Lenta.Ru. The Russian Union of Journalists is also on the list.
“We believe that everyone involved in the persecution of Ukrainians and the spread of Russian propaganda must be held accountable for their actions. Ukrainian sanctions are only the beginning; further decisions will follow. We are grateful to human rights organizations for the information and for their assistance in documenting such cases,” said Advisor – Commissioner of the President for Sanctions Policy Vladyslav Vlasiuk.