Ukraine imposed sanctions on 56 ships entering occupied ports
President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree imposing sanctions on 56 ships that illegally entered temporarily Russian-occupied Ukrainian ports in 2022-2025 for exporting food.
These ships, many of which are already under EU, US, and Swiss sanctions, were used to export thousands of tons of grain and other products from closed ports such as Sevastopol and Feodosiya. Some of the ships flew under the flags of other countries, including Panama, Cameroon, Togo, Eswatini, and Barbados. Ukraine assured that it would cooperate with these countries to stop the issuance of licenses.
The decision on sanctions is part of Kyiv’s broader strategy to pressure Russia, which includes syncing actions with international partners. President Zelensky earlier this month already signed new sanctions decisions concerning Russian government officials, businessmen, and military intelligence, as well as collaborators.
| Flag country | Number of ships |
|---|---|
| Russia | 39 |
| Panama | 4 |
| Cameroon | 3 |
| Others | 10 |
Ukraine declared the continuation of pressure on Russia to end military actions on its territory. The list of ships subject to sanctions is included in the annex to the president’s decree.
