Several of Russia’s most prominent TV personalities, including Pavel Zarubin, a state TV reporter known for fawning reporting on -- and nearly unfettered access to -- President Vladimir Putin, were targeted in the European Union's newest package of sanctions.
The proposed measures were adopted by the European Council -- the bloc's executive body -- on January 28 at a meeting of EU ambassadors. EU members that have typically been wary of provoking Moscow -- Hungary and Slovakia -- did not block the measures.
Since Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the EU has steadily expanded its list of targets it has hit with asset freezes or visa bans. The list now encompasses more than 2,500 individuals, companies, and other entities, with some 28 billion euros ($33 billion) in assets frozen.
The new measures fall under a different rubric linked not specifically to the Ukraine war but more broadly to “Russia’s destabilizing activities.” Around 60 people and entities have been hit so far under this category.
Zarubin, who could not be immediately reached for comment, is a longtime TV reporter with Channel One, Russia’s largest state-owned TV network. The EU measure calls him “a prominent Russian propagandist.”
Yekaterina Andreyeva, another prominent state TV host, and Sergei Polunin, a renowned ballet dancer and the former principal at the Royal Ballet in London, were also hit with sanctions.
Other figures on the list include Roman Chumakov, a rapper known as Zhigan who writes and performs songs praising Putin; Maria Sittel, another TV anchorwoman on Channel One; and Dmitry Guberniyev, a popular TV sports commentator.
The EU’s sanctions on Russia have frequently, though not always, been enacted in coordination with Western allies, including the United States and Canada.
In Washington, new legislation called the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025 has gotten the green light from US President Donald Trump for passage. However, the legislation currently appears stalled, and it’s unclear when or if it will come up for a vote.
