Ukraine Expands Sanctions: 57 Russian Tanker Captains and Cultural Officials Targeted

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree introducing new sanctions against Russia, targeting captains of the shadow fleet and those involved in the looting of Ukrainian cultural heritage, according to Andrii Yermak, Head of the President’s Office, on February 5.

Under Presidential Decree No. 67/2025, sanctions have been imposed on 57 captains of Russia’s so-called tanker fleet—56 Russian citizens and one Iranian national.

Decree No. 68/2025 introduces sanctions against those responsible for the destruction of Ukrainian cultural identity. The list includes individuals who conducted illegal archaeological excavations in occupied Crimea and smuggled Ukrainian cultural artifacts out of the country.

Among those sanctioned:

• Sergey Obrivalin, First Deputy Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation

• Vladimir Osintsev, Deputy Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation

• Mikhail Piotrovsky, President of the Union of Museums of Russia and General Director of the sanctioned "State Hermitage Museum"

• Sergey Solovyov, archaeologist who personally led illegal excavations in Chersonesus Taurica, a UNESCO-listed site in Crimea

Previously, it was reported that the fleet transporting Russian oil to bypass sanctions currently consists of up to 1,000 vessels.