Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has enacted sanctions against 29 Russian individuals and organizations involved in disseminating propaganda and distorting historical facts. This decision follows a directive from the National Security and Defense Council.
Among those sanctioned is Alexander Chubaryan, a Russian propagandist linked to a history textbook that justifies Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Also included are Alexei Miller, a pseudo-historian promoting the ‘Russian world’ ideology, and Artem Lagoysky, who leads the Russian Ministry of Culture in the occupied Kherson region.
The sanctions extend to 15 Russian organizations associated with the so-called occupation administrations. These entities are implicated in falsifying historical records, looting cultural artifacts from museums in Crimea, and misappropriating documents from Ukraine’s National Archive for the benefit of the aggressor.
“We have imposed sanctions against cultural colonization—against those who have distorted Ukraine’s history for decades and imposed imperial narratives. This is not just a cultural issue; it is part of a hybrid war aimed at undermining our identity and statehood,”
stated Vladislav Vasyuk, the President’s advisor on sanctions policy.
In October of last year, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry reported the theft of 178 historical artifacts by Russian authorities in occupied territories. This includes over 140 items discovered during illegal archaeological excavations in Crimea, particularly in the southern suburbs of Chersonesus Taurica and the Kadikivske settlement.
In July 2025, intelligence revealed an additional 110 cultural artifacts that had been illegally appropriated by Russia in annexed Crimea.
Ukraine has implemented sanctions against Russian scholars and organizations involved in propaganda and historical distortion. This move aims to combat cultural colonization and protect Ukrainian identity amidst ongoing conflict.