Ukraine imposes new sanctions against Russian military, civilian merchant vessels

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday imposed new sanctions against Russian military personnel and civilian merchant vessels.

According to the presidential press service, the first package of sanctions includes 127 Russian individuals “involved in missile strikes on Ukraine, including on critical infrastructure and civilian facilities.”

The restrictions target commanders of long-range aviation units, as well as missile and artillery units of the ground forces.

The second package includes 29 civilian merchant ships “involved in the transportation of cargo for the military needs of the Russian Federation,” with most of them being under sanctions of the US, the EU, and the UK.

“One of today's packages highlights the arms supply channels for the Russian army, let's see which ports will now accept these ships," said Vladyslav Vlasyuk, the Ukrainian presidential adviser and commissioner for sanctions policy.

"The other one is personally targeting those who give orders and carry out missile terror against Ukrainian cities. It's about increasing the price of aggression for Russia, complicating its military operations, and forming an inevitable responsibility for strikes on civilians and infrastructure," he added.

Russia has yet to respond to Ukraine’s new sanctions packages.