Ukraine has brought into force a decision by the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) to apply personal sanctions against ten individuals. Among those listed is former presidential press secretary Yulia Mendel and nine citizens of the Russian Federation. This is reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing Decree No. 901/2026, published on the website of the Office of the President.

The decree and the NSDC decision

The President signed a decree bringing into force the National Security and Defense Council's decision of 13 September 2026 on the application of personal sanctions. The restrictions were proposed by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and will remain in effect for ten years, although certain measures — including the deprivation of state awards — apply indefinitely.

List of restrictions

According to the outlet, the full set of restrictions was applied to most of those listed: blocking of assets, a ban on trade operations, prevention of capital outflows, a ban on entry into Ukraine, and other measures provided for by the Law "On Sanctions." For Yulia Mendel, the only Ukrainian citizen on the list, an additional measure is provided — restricting access from Ukrainian territory to her pages on the social networks Instagram, X, and Facebook.

Yulia Mendel: from press secretary to the sanctions list

Yulia Mendel held the post of press secretary to President Volodymyr Zelensky from June 2019 to July 2021. After leaving office, she worked as a columnist and commented on Ukrainian politics for foreign media. This year, Mendel became the center of a scandal following an interview with Tucker Carlson, in which she spoke sharply about Zelensky, calling him "emotionally unmanageable."

Nine Russian citizens

The remaining nine individuals are citizens of the Russian Federation. The sanctions list includes Svetlana Larina, Isabella Liberman, Diana Malik, Alexander Mineev, Aleksey Plotnikov, Oleg Rezepkin, Mariya Rumyantseva, Sofia Sambulova, and Evgeny Strunkin.

Context

The imposition of personal sanctions on a former senior official of the Office of the President, against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict with Russia, underscores the expanding practice of using sanctioning tools both against foreign citizens and against Ukrainian figures linked to high-profile public statements. The decision was initiated by the SBU and formalized by a presidential decree, which gives the measures a binding legal character.