BREAKING: Zelenskyy Imposes Sanctions on Journalists of UOJ-Ukraine and First Cossack

Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Photo: Reuters

KYIV — On Oct. 31, 2025, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy enacted a decision by the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) imposing personal sanctions on individuals associated with the activities of the Ukrainian branch of the Union of Orthodox Journalists and the media outlet First Cossack.

These sanctions are the latest in a series of persecutory actions by the Ukrainian government which have targeted both the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) and the press. 

Initiated by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the sanctions include the revocation of state awards and other restrictive measures. The NSDC instructed the Cabinet of Ministers, SBU, National Bank, and the State Awards and Heraldry Commission to “ensure the implementation and monitoring of the effectiveness of the personal special economic and other restrictive measures (sanctions).”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was directed to inform the competent authorities of the European Union, the United States of America, and other countries about the sanctions and to raise the issue of introducing similar restrictive measures abroad.

According to Presidential Decree No. 810/2025, the sanctions — some for 10 years, others indefinitely — targeted the following individuals:

1. Viktor Vyshnevetsky (b. 1968)
2. Volodymyr Bobechko (b. 1973)
3. Kateryna Zharkykh (b. 1994)
4. Taras Zabudko (b. 1977)
5. Oleksii Zoshchuk (b. 1983)
6. Ruslan Kalynchuk (b. 1987)
7. Lev Klymenko (b. 1999)
8. Mykola Moisiienko (b. 1983)
9. Andrii Ovcharenko (b. 1979)
10. Iryna Ovcharenko (Vershynina) (b. 1978)
11. Valerii Stupnytskyi (b. 1973)
12. Serhii Chertilín (b. 1989)

The imposed sanctions include:

• Blocking of assets
• Prohibition of media distribution within Ukraine
• Termination of electronic communications services
• Restrictions on trade operations
• Revocation of Ukrainian state honors

The decree places particular emphasis on the blocking of online resources. Internet providers were ordered to restrict access to the website https://spzh.eu (which had already been blocked in Ukraine) and to related social media channels.

Previously, UOJ reported that the Kyiv District Administrative Court accepted a lawsuit against Ukraine's National Center to challenge the unlawful blocking of the UOJ-Ukraine website, marking the fifth such block in Ukraine.

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