Zelensky stripped several celebrities and politicians of their state awards.
On Friday, November 22, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky enacted a decision by the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) to impose sanctions on several politicians, businessmen, and celebrities who support Russia. In particular, the sanctions involve the revocation of state awards – 24 individuals will lose their honors in accordance with a recently signed bill regarding state awards.
According to decree №779, Volodymyr Zelensky approved sanctions against 34 individuals. Of these, 24 will be the first to lose their state awards. In the annex to the decree, the president published the complete list of individuals who will have their honors revoked – this includes Russian and Ukrainian politicians, singers, and entertainers.
Individuals to be stripped of state awards:
- former Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov
- former MP from the "Party of Regions" and collaborator Yevhen Balitskyi
- Russian singer Nikolai Baskov
- former MP of the Verkhovna Rada in Crimea and Russian politician Oleksandr Batalin
- Russian director and propagandist Vladimir Bortko
- Russian conductor Valery Gergiev
- Russian ambassador to Belarus Boris Gryzlov
- Russian patriarch Kirill – Vladimir Gundyayev
- separatist and former MP from the "Party of Regions" Andriy Derkach
- Russian folklorist and conductor Viktor Zakharchenko
- Russian singer and entertainer Filipp Kirkorov
- associate of Medvedchuk, former MP and owner of pro-Russian channels Taras Kozak
- composer Igor Krutoy
- Karolina Kuiek – singer Ani Lorak
- Russian singer Alexander Malinin
- Russian political figure Valentina Matviyenko
- pro-Russian politician and state traitor Viktor Medvedchuk
- singer and Russian collaborator Taїsiya Povaliy
- former Attorney General of Ukraine Viktor Pshonka
- former Minister of Defense of Russia Anatoly Serdyukov
- Russian violinist and conductor Vladimir Spivakov
- pro-Russian politician and collaborator Dmytro Tabachnyk
- former football player of "Shakhtar" Anatoly Tymoshchuk
- pro-Russian politician and collaborator Oleg Tsarev
Additionally, 10 individuals were placed under economic sanctions by the NSDC:
- Oleksandr Yefremov
- Vitaliy Zakharchenko
- Vadym Kolestnychenko
- Renat Kuzmin
- Konstantin Kulyk
- Valentin Landik
- Vadym Rabinovych
- Volodymyr Oliynyk
- Serhiy Tulub
- Oleksandr Yakymenko
“The first list includes 34 individuals. Among them are former officials, members of parliament, heads of the SBU and the Prosecutor General's Office, prosecutors, artists, and Russian political, religious, and cultural figures. All of them are indefinitely stripped of state awards from Ukraine. For ten of them, the maximum range of sanctions has been applied – 21 types. This concerns not only the revocation of state awards from Ukraine but also, in particular, the blocking of assets, annulment of licenses and permits, and a complete cessation of trade operations,” – reported the press service of the President's Office.
It is worth noting that on November 20, the deputies of the Verkhovna Rada as a whole supported the bill initiated by Volodymyr Zelensky regarding the revocation of state awards from individuals suspected of treason. On the same day, the president signed the document, and the following day it came into force.
Previously, the legislation allowed for the revocation of state awards only for individuals convicted of serious crimes or those under sanctions. Amendments to the document will permit the revocation of awards based on NSDC decisions as well.
Interestingly, Volodymyr Zelensky initiated the bill following a petition from Ukrainians to strip former MP and co-chairman of the banned OPZZh Yuriy Boyko of the title "Hero of Ukraine." Boyko received this title in 2004 during Leonid Kuchma's presidency for "outstanding personal merits to the Ukrainian state in the development of the fuel and energy complex." However, Boyko was not included in the list of those stripped of state awards.