Zelensky sanctions Putin, Lavrov, Shoygu, Peskov, etc.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree imposing sanctions against his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, TASS reports.

The Ukrainian sanctions list also includes:

• Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoygu,
• Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov,
• Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov,
• members of the Russian government.

There are 35 people on the list in total, including Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Deputy Prime Ministers Andrei Belousov, Dmitry Grigorenko, Marat Khusnullin, Dmitry Chernyshenko, Yuri Borisov, Victoria Abramchenko, Tatiana Golikova, Yuri Trutnev.

In another decree, the Ukrainian president imposed sanctions against 261 rectors and heads of Russian universities and educational institutions, including Moscow State University and MGIMO (Moscow Institute of Foreign Relations).

The sanctions have been introduced indefinitely. They imply measures to block all funds and assets in Ukraine, as well as ban transactions and ownership of land and real estate in Ukraine. 

Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba called on the European Union (EU) to immediately approve the seventh package of sanctions against the Russian Federation. He also said that he signed a letter to the EU with specific proposals for a new set of restrictions, including sectoral sanctions in the fields of energy, finance and trade to close all loopholes that could be used to bypass previous restrictions.

On June 3, the European Union introduced the sixth package of sanctions in connection with Russia's special military operation on the territory of Ukraine. In particular, the package stipulates for EU's gradual refusal from the use of Russian oil and petroleum products.