Ukraine has imposed new sanctions against Russia. Those involved in the export of Ukrainian grain have been subject to restrictions

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has implemented the National Security and Defense Councilʼs (NSDC) decision on sanctions against the Russian Federation. The new restrictions apply to those involved in the export of grain stolen from the occupied territories and to Russian museum workers.

The relevant decrees No. 579/2025 and No. 580/2025 on sanctions were published on the website of the Office of the President. Details about the sanctions packages were told to journalists by the Commissioner for Sanctions Policy Vlad Vlasyuk.

The first package of sanctions applies to 39 people and 23 companies involved in the export of grain stolen from the occupied territories, illegal mining and enrichment of minerals, as well as captains of the "grain" shadow fleet.

For example, Captain Vyacheslav Vidanov exported over 35 000 tons of Ukrainian wheat from Sevastopol to Yemen. And the Dniprorudnensky Iron Ore Plant (in the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia region) was created on the basis of illegally expropriated assets. The enterprise develops Ukrainian iron ore deposits.

The second package of sanctions imposed restrictions on 15 heads of Russian museums who appropriate Ukrainian cultural values, hold exhibitions that glorify Russian aggression, and try to integrate captured Ukrainian museums into the Russian system.

For example, the director of the Russian Ethnographic Museum Yulia Kupina was sanctioned for opening the exhibition “Multinational Russia” in temporarily occupied Berdyansk, Zaporizhzhia region. The exhibition included exhibits from Ukrainian museums.

Two of the people involved in the package — Artem Silkin and Galina Alekseeva — are running for the governing bodies of the International Council of Museums (ICOM). Vlasyuk notes that their presence there is absolutely unacceptable.

For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine, please follow us on X.