On April 17, 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed decrees enacting the decisions of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) to impose comprehensive sanctions on Russian military commanders and religious figures. As reported by the Official Website of the President of Ukraine, the targeted measures focus on individuals deeply involved in orchestrating devastating missile attacks on Ukrainian territory, as well as those who weaponize religion to justify Russian aggression and disseminate state propaganda.
The newly approved sanctions list encompasses 121 Russian occupiers directly responsible for organizing and coordinating massive missile strikes across Ukraine. A significant portion of these individuals are commanders of the long-range aviation units of the Russian Aerospace Forces. Since the onset of the full-scale invasion, Russian forces have launched over 4,100 air-launched cruise and aeroballistic missiles. The sanctioned commanders directed some of the most horrific attacks on civilian infrastructure, including the deliberate strikes on the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital on July 8, 2024, a residential high-rise in Ternopil on November 19, 2025, and the Amstor shopping mall in Kremenchuk on June 27, 2022, along with numerous energy and transport hubs.
Furthermore, the sanctions specifically target naval commanders of the Russian Fleet who have relentlessly bombarded Ukraine using ship- and submarine-launched Kalibr cruise missiles. Russia has fired more than 1,500 Kalibr missiles in 160 separate attacks, purposefully crippling the energy grids in Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Volyn, Mykolaiv, and Odesa regions, as well as thermal power plants in Kyiv. Notably, the list includes a high-ranking commander of the 30th Surface Ship Division, responsible for maintaining the combat readiness of the frigates Admiral Makarov and Admiral Essen.
Ground forces commanders were not spared in this package. The sanctions extend to officers of missile and artillery units who coordinated ground-launched cruise missile and Iskander-M ballistic missile strikes. According to official data, Russia has attacked Ukraine over 1,100 times using these precise weapons. These commanders orchestrated the deadly strikes on the center of Sumy on April 13, 2025, which claimed 25 lives, the Chernihiv city center attack on April 17, 2024 (18 dead), and the catastrophic strike on the village of Hroza in the Kharkiv region, where 59 civilians tragically perished.
“This is one of the first instances where our intelligence services have successfully and precisely identified over 100 specific individuals who directly issue orders and execute missile launches against Ukraine. They are common terrorists who must be sanctioned across all jurisdictions,” emphasized Vladyslav Vlasiuk, the Presidential Advisor and Commissioner for Sanctions Policy.
In addition to military personnel, nine religious figures affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) and its associated structures have been firmly sanctioned. These individuals have publicly called for the murder of Ukrainians, openly supported the military invasion, and systematically utilized religious platforms to propagate Kremlin narratives.
Kyiv plans to share the comprehensive dossiers of these individuals with international partners to ensure global synchronization of these sanctions. These latest measures follow earlier decrees targeting Russian scientists, occupation administration officials, and 225 captains of the Russian “shadow fleet” involved in illicitly funding Moscow’s military-industrial complex.