Presidential decree #68/2025 of February 4, 2025 

Initiator: the National Security and Defense Council 

Status: in effect since February 4, 2025 

Who is affected: individuals and legal entities under sanctions 

Summary: 

  • the President imposed sanctions against individuals and legal entities connected to illegal excavations on the territory of Chersonesus Taurica, a UNESCO World Heritage Site 
  • the list includes the State Historical and Archaeological Museum-Reserve Chersonesus Taurica, the East Crimean Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve, and the Central Museum of Tauris. Sanctions include deprivation of state awards of Ukraine, blocking of assets, prohibition on trade operations, prohibition of capital outflows, and other restrictive measures for 10 years 
  • the list of the sanctioned individuals includes Sergey Obrivalin, First Deputy Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Osintsev, Deputy Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation, Roman Rybalov, Head of the Department of State Protection of Cultural Heritage of the Russian Ministry of Culture, Nikolai Makarov, Director of the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Mikhail Piotrovsky, President of the Union of Museums of Russia and General Director of the sanctioned State Hermitage Museum, Yelizaveta Likhachova, Director of the State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, and Sergey Solovyov, head of archaeological expeditions at the site. Sanctions include blocking of assets, prohibition on trade and banking operations and participation in public procurement for 10 years, and indefinite deprivation of state awards. 

What is right: 

  • Ukraine continues to impose sanctions against the aggressor state 
  • the decree will encourage partner states to impose similar restrictive measures.