Ukraine has imposed sanctions on ten Russian athletes: who was punished and why
16 February 21:06
Vladimir Zelensky signed a decree enacting the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine on sanctions against ten Russian athletes. This was reported on the website of the Office of the President of Ukraine, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
According to the official wording, the sanctions apply to individuals who publicly support Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine, have visited temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories, or have been involved in activities in the interests of the Russian military.
Who was included in the sanctions list
The list includes Russian athletes and sports officials:
- Evgeny Baidusov
- Imam Ganishov
- Svetlana Dashanyeva
- Arkady Dvorkovich
- Yana Egorian
- Vladislav Larin
- Angelina Melnikova
- Madina Taymazova
- Maxim Khramtsov
- Fedor Chudinov
The decree notes that some of them visited the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia regions and Crimea, and participated in public events that Ukraine considers to be support for the occupation.
What exactly led to the restrictions
According to the NSDC, the sanctions apply to individuals who:
- publicly justified Russian aggression against Ukraine;
- supported the occupation of Ukrainian territories;
- participated in fundraising for the Russian military;
- organized or participated in events for Ukrainian children deported to Russia.
The specific types of sanctions are not detailed in the statement, but such decisions usually involve asset freezing, restrictions on economic activity, and a ban on entry into Ukraine.
How the sanctions package was formed
The statement from the Office of the President indicates that the basis for the sanctions was a petition prepared by Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladislav Heraskevich.
He had previously spoken out about the need for personal responsibility among athletes who publicly support the war. Geraskevich himself attracted international attention after he was disqualified from the Olympics for wearing a “memorial helmet” with photos of Ukrainian athletes who died in the war.
